


Ladrien June

by steampunkcircus



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (did you really expect me to go a full week without angst?), Andre's ice cream, Angst, Background Character Death, Chat!Marinette, F/M, Kwami Swap, Ladrien June, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pregnancy, Specifically the ending, The Princess Bride References, but only chapter 17, circus AU, knowing me as a person there will be angst, ladrien, ladrien june 2018, little bits of the other parts of the love square, mild jokes at the expense of sopranos because i'm an alto and it's funny to me, probably angst, reverse crush, shakespeare au, terrible puns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-17 01:02:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 23,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14822271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steampunkcircus/pseuds/steampunkcircus
Summary: My attempt at following the Ladrien June 2018 prompts for the month.





	1. Stealthy (Accidental Reveal)

**Author's Note:**

> These prompt responses are going to vary in length. I'll do my best to get something out for every day, but this is my first time doing this and I'm also doing Lukadrien June.

Adrien had been practicing his stealthiness outside of the use of his miraculous. It came in handy a lot, even in the generally empty mansion. Today he was creeping around the school library seeing how many people he could walk past without them noticing him. He saw Marinette at a table and circled around to the shelf of books behind her. His intention was to walk past her and see if she noticed his presence, not to eavesdrop. But when she started speaking to someone, since he couldn't see her, he wanted to listen to know who else he was about to try to sneak past.

"Oh, Tikki, how will I ever get all this homework done if I'm always disappearing to fight akumas?"

Adrien stopped dead. He moved some books on the shelves around so he could see Marinette through a small gap. Her back was to him and a red and black bug... thing floated by her right ear.

"Oh, Marinette, you've always done a good job balancing being Ladybug with being a student. I believe in you! You just need to work on time management, that's all!"

Adrien nudged Plagg out of his shirt and held a finger to his lips. Plagg copied the gesture, his paw in front of his lips and he nodded. Adrien pointed through the hole in the books. Plagg peeked through and turned back to Adrien with a grin. Adrien grabbed Plagg and went to the far side of the library, finding a quiet spot to sit.

"Plagg, was that... Is Marinette… Ladybug?"

"Yup. That was my sister with her, TIkki!" Plagg said, pride in his voice. "We should get her some cookies."


	2. Close, But Just Not There Yet (Babysitting)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kwami are frustrated. The kids are happy, but missing something.

Ladybug was standing in Adrien's bedroom.

Ladybug had come to his window at eleven forty-seven at night.

Ladybug was talking and it was really hard to concentrate on what she was saying because _Ladybug was in his room_.

"What do you think?"

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

She covered her face with her hands and he wasn't sure how to fix that he had accidentally ignored her.

"I'm sorry! I just didn't expect you to be here, and I'm a little confused, and... you're really cool, Ladybug."

"You... you think I'm cool?" She peeked over the tops of her fingers.

"Really cool," he said. He felt too hot and a little like that time an akuma had hit him with lightning.

"Um... thanks. Thank you, Adrien." Her hands dropped to behind her back, a little smile on her face.

"What were you saying?"

"Do you want to, maybe, go out with me sometime?"

That was significantly shorter than whatever she had said the first time, but he wasn't going to let that distract him from-

Wait. _Had Ladybug just asked him out_?

"Really?"

"You were listening this time, right?" she asked, wide eyed.

"I heard you, but, I mean... you're Ladybug!"

"O-oh." her forehead scrunched and her lips pulled in a tight line for a moment. She swallowed and asked, "Is that a problem?"

"No!" he knew he had to backtrack, explain. "I meant that you're a superhero, you're famous and everyone loves you and I'm just regular me."

"You've never been 'just regular', Adrien," she said, smiling.

"You know what I mean."

"I'm just a normal girl under the mask, too," she said. "So what do you say? Would you like to go out with me?"

"Yes. Yeah. Yes, that sounds good. Um, when?"

"Any time you want."

They decided on the next night and Adrien had just under twenty two hours to panic and find something appropriate to wear on a date with a superhero.

"Plagg?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Did that just happen?"

"Yeah, it did. I really hate when it happens in this order. You'll be a lovesick fool and she'll be a lovesick fool and you'll go work with her as Chat Noir and then come back and talk to me about how weird it is that she likes this side of you and not that side and do you know what? It's because you're doing things in the wrong order."

"But she really likes me? Me, Adrien-me?"

"Go to sleep, kid."

 

/*****/

 

They weren't sure whose idea it was, but somehow the decision made the next night was for Ladybug to take Adrien around the city to see what it was like to travel like she did (in the absence of akumas, she said, it was a completely different experience than the times she had rescued him). He couldn't tell her that he had done this before on patrols, and who was he to say no to her carrying him across the city?

So they flew. Or, swung. And it really _was_  a different experience than when invulnerable, full of adrenaline, and/or being pursued by an akuma. The risk of falling was there, but the trust in his Lady was absolute. She was so strong.

They found themselves on a cross beam of the Eiffel Tower and were looking at the lights of the city when Ladybug slid her hand over to bump his where it rested next to his knee, gripping the edge.

"Worried you're going to fall?"

"Even if I did, you'd catch me," he said with a smile.

She blushed (he enjoyed making her blush) and looked away. "At least with you I don't have to worry too much that you'll jump around and lose your balance. I can't tell you how many times Chat has slipped or tripped or just plain backflipped off of here. You require much less babysitting."

How did one respond when one was compared to one's alter ego?

"He probably trusts you to catch him, too."

"I'd hope he does!" she said with a laugh. "He would catch me, too."

The silence started to grow awkward, so Adrien let go of the edge to hold Ladybug's hand. She held his with a carefulness and gentleness that made him wonder if she was worried about hurting him with her extra strength while in the suit. He always worried when he had to touch civilians, with the added concern of his claws. He gave her hand a little squeeze, hoping she understood how nice it was to have her care that much.

"Can I ask a question?" Adrien turned to look at Ladybug and she nodded. "Most people think you and Chat Noir belong together. What do you think about that?"

"I'm here with you, aren't I?" she asked. Her tone was annoyed but she had a smile on her face. "I don't believe in 'made for each other' or 'fated to be'. I believe in knowing what you want and working for it. I know Chat doesn't feel the same way, but we've talked about it. I know how he feels. He knows I like someone else. He's my best friend."

"He's very lucky to have you," Adrien said.

"I'm the lucky one," she said.

They stayed out a little longer, talking about school and their favorite akuma designs and their hopes for the future before they both were holding back yawns and Ladybug finally decided it was time to call it a night. She dropped him off in his room and gave him a quick hug goodbye.

"I'd like to do this again, if you want to," Adrien said, hand drifting to the back of his head, heart in his throat as he waited for her answer.

"I'd like that," she said.

They set up another date and she went to leave.

"Good night, my Lady," he said, hoping it was a little too quiet for her to hear.

She paused, halfway out the window, to look at him, eyes narrowing. It was the look she gave a Lucky Charm right before she figured out what to do with it.

"Good night, Adrien," she said.

She swung into the night, and on her balcony, she detransformed with a sigh.

"How was your date?" Tikki asked.

"I'll have to watch him closer next time we're up somewhere high," Marinette said. "Adrien might need just as much babysitting as Chat, if he's going to talk like him."

Tikki waited for Marinette to climb into her room before she facepalmed and followed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com if you like :)


	3. Lady In Black (Kwami Swap)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-reveal kwami swap involving bad puns.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Nothing happened. Marinette looked around and found Tikki asleep on her pillow.

"Tikki? There's an apartment building fire. We gotta go."

"Marinette?" Tikki blinked up at her slowly. "I don't feel very well."

"You can't transform me?"

Tikki coughed into her paws. "No, sorry."

"And Adrien's in a photo shoot all day," Marinette said, knowing her partner wasn't going to get out of this one. Gabriel was supervising all day since Adrien's modeling sessions had been interrupted a lot recently. Possibly because a spotted superherione kept showing up and stealing him away after creating a distraction. Possibly.

"But someone has to help those people!" Tikki said. She tried to sit up but fell back against the pillow, coughing again.

"Oh, Tikki! Should I take you to Master Fu?"

"There's no time," Tikki said. "Go to Adrien. I can stay with him until he can take me to Master Fu."

"But what will I do?"

"You'll be a hero."

"Tikki, I can't save people as Marinette, and without you, I can't be Ladybug!"

"I didn't say you'd be Ladybug."

/*****/

"This seems ridiculous," Marinette said, sliding the silver ring on her finger and finding it fit better than she was expecting. "Won't everyone notice that Chat Noir isn't really Chat Noir?"

"People see what they want to see," Plagg said. "It'll be fine, Tikki and I do this every now and then. Now say 'claws out' and we'll get going. The sooner we finish this up, the sooner I get more Camembert."

"Plagg, claws out!"

"It's even weirder watching you transform into Chat Noir than it is watching you transform into Ladybug," Adrien said. He had situated Tikki with a couple of cookies in the pile of his clothes he had worn when he arrived to the photo shoot. The earrings were in the pocket of the jeans he was modelling (which he promised would be transferred to any new outfit he changed into for the duration of the shoot).

"Really? I would think the transformations would be pretty Siamese-ilar!"

Tikki and Adrien stared at Chat Noir, blinking in disbelief.

"Like... like similar? But with Siamese? Because Siamese is a type of cat? And- and Chat Noir makes cat puns?"

Adrien smirked, set a hand on Chat Noir's shoulder, and winked. "Leave the puns to me, kitty."

"Okay, now you're just trying to act like me," she said with a huff, crossing her arms.

"Go save people," Adrien said, kissing Chat Noir's nose. "Tikki and I will be fine until you get back."

"See you soon, hot stuff."

With a wink of her own, Chat Noir took off out the window.

"You know, Tikki, she looks great in red," Adrien said, pulling the hat he wore for the shoot back on. "But I gotta say, I like her in black."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com if you like :)


	4. Ten Times The Hero (Protecting)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has to detransform in the middle of a battle and still tries to protect Ladybug. She's not too pleased with that choice.

"What did you think you were doing?"

Ladybug was aware she was yelling. She was aware that she was yelling at Adrien Agreste in the rain on the streets of Paris in the middle of an akuma battle. It was a tad dramatic, but seriously? Who runs in front of an akuma like that?

"You were hit, you needed help!" Adrien looked as much of a mess as Ladybug felt. He was drenched from the rain, and his left side bore the marks of the pavement from the first time the akuma hit him, scrapes and gashes showing through his torn shirt. The knees of his jeans were torn open where he'd slid on them after the second hit. She wondered how his shoulder was doing before remembering that the only reason he was hurt in the first place was because he had jumped in front of her like a fool.

"I was fine! I can take a hit, I'm the superhero here. You could have died, do you realize that? Do you realize that the only reason I do this is to keep people like you safe? When you go and throw yourself in harm's way, it makes all the effort I put in go to waste. Do you get that?"

"Just because you can take a hit doesn't mean you can be pummeled into oblivion. You were alone, Chat Noir's nowhere to be seen. If he can't do his job and just _be there_ -"

"How _dare_  you?" Ladybug stepped into his space, finger so close to his face that his eyes crossed for a moment before he looked back at her. "Chat Noir isn't here because he's doing his job! He had to transform back because he was doing everything right. He's ten times the hero I'll ever be, and anyone who even thinks of judging him or any of the choices he makes- choices that are hard, that he has to make in seconds- can answer to me. No one on earth is good enough to deserve the effort he puts in every day, but he does it anyway! So, do you want to start that sentence again and maybe think about who you're talking about and who you're talking to?"

Adrien didn't look nearly as contrite as she felt he should. She considered continuing to lecture, but she was tired and cold and she wanted to meet up with Chat and get this battle over with so she could burrow under a mountain of blankets with some tea.

"Sorry for yelling," Ladybug said when Adrien still didn't say anything. "Civilians putting themselves in danger and anyone speaking ill of my partner are my two biggest anger triggers. Will you promise to get yourself to safety so I can go track down the akuma without worrying about you?"

He gave a curt nod but didn't move from where he stood. She sighed and grabbed him by his uninjured arm and dragged him to the nearest building. He was staring at her and for a minute she felt guilty for yelling. But only for a minute.

She shoved Adrien through the door and blocked his way out.

"Please just stay here."

"Ladybug," he reached out a hand, circling the wrist of her hand holding the door she was about to close. "I'm sorry. I didn't think. You're right about everything. I just... I don't like seeing you in danger."

"I'll tell you a secret," Ladybug said, leaning in a little. Adrien mimicked her, drawing closer. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "I'm never really in danger."

"What?" Adrien said, pulling back a little and squinting at her skeptically.

"Chat Noir saves me every time," she said. She smiled, but she could feel the weight of every time her partner had risked himself to save her keeping the smile from reaching her eyes. "I'm never in danger because he's always there for me."

She couldn't read the look on Adrien's face, and he didn't say anything, so she nodded and straightened up. "Stay safe," she commanded again and closed the door gently.

Chat Noir caught up to Ladybug a minute later. He didn't say much, but she could tell something was bothering him. What could have happened to upset him in the ten minutes he had spent tracking down food for his kwami?

After the battle, Chat grabbed Ladybug in a hug.

"What's this for, kitty?" she asked, hugging him back.

"For always being there for me," he said.

"My pleasure," she said.

It was a long time before she figured out what that hug was really about, but when she did, she found she didn't regret a single thing she had said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com if you like :)


	5. Need A Lift? (Saved from the paparazzi or fans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien saves Ladybug. Ladybug saves Adrien. Possibly because I couldn't decide which I liked better.

Ladybug was two spots away from detransforming. The akuma battle had lasted forever and she just wanted to go home. But no. Her partner's bad luck must be rubbing off on her because she was being chased down the street.

By _fans_.

One of the less-reputable Ladybug-focused blogs had recently called on its readers to try and "out" Ladybug and Chat Noir. "It's time we know whose hands hold our fate" was the exact quote to justify the horde of people that just kept popping up every time Ladybug thought she'd found a safe place to detransform. She would swing to a roof and find someone leaning out a window to see her. She would slide into an alley and try to duck behind a dumpster only for a door to open and a camera phone to blind her with a flash.

At this point, Ladybug didn't even feel safe heading towards home in case someone followed her. She was swinging faster, hoping to lose them, but everywhere she landed, someone's eyes were on her. The weather was terrible, dark and rainy, why were so many people outside to begin with?

"Tikki is going to kill me," Ladybug whispered to herself as she dodged a middle aged woman who was filming her and shouting "The people deserve to know!"

One spot left. She was just running at this point. She was likely to strand herself on a rooftop at this point. It was a miracle that she even heard a familiar voice in the chaos.

"Ladybug! Over here!"

Obeying the voice without a second thought, Ladybug veered to her left and dropped into the tiniest space between buildings, barely wide enough for her shoulders not to brush both walls.

"Adrien?"

Adrien Agreste smiled shyly at her. "I saw you running. I know you and Chat Noir have been having a hard time getting away from your 'fans' recently. This place should be safe. I can watch the entrance until you detransform- without looking, of course!"

"Well, I've got seconds, so turn around," Ladybug said, fingers going to one earring unconsciously.

Adrien dutifully turned to face the street, watching people running around trying to find the hero.

"It must be scary," Adrien said as Ladybug's earrings started giving their final warning beeps. "Having the city turn on you so suddenly. Feeling like your real life is in danger of having all your superhero risks added to it, instead of only when you wear the mask."

A flash of pink. The girl who is Ladybug was behind Adrien right now.

"I'm sure they mean well," Ladybug said. "I could probably give an interview or something, remind everyone that we're only human and we just want each other, our families, and everyone else to be safe."

Adrien smiled, but there was a bitter taste along with it. "You're a good person, Ladybug. I hope everyone remembers that soon."

A small hand touched the back of his arm and he flinched but managed to catch himself instead of looking at her.

"Don't turn around," she said. He nodded. He felt the gentlest pressure between his shoulder blades and it took him a moment to realize she had given him a kiss. Adrien melted.

"Thanks for the save," she said. "I'll wait until I see you round the corner. Don't look back, okay?"

Still too stunned by the kiss, Adrien nodded. He reached back and found her hand- Ladybug's hand, with no suits between them- and gave her fingers a quick squeeze. And then he left. And he didn't look back.

/*****/

It was sunny. It was just too sunny. Not a cloud in the sky, and hot, but with a nice breeze. This kind of weather should be spent in the park with Nino or asleep on the roof of the mansion or on a cheerful photo shoot with lots of clothes in bright colors. Instead, Adrien was distracted from the light of the sun because the light of the cameras around him was making him twitch. He had been followed semi-discreetly for a block or two before the paparazzi and random people with phone cameras seemed to multiply in number and boldness. Adrien had slipped away from the Gorilla when his bodyguard had to take a phone call. Right now, the intimidating presence of the Gorilla would be welcome and Adrien was trying to head back but his path was blocked at every turn. Getting boxed in, Adrien was starting to feel a mounting panic. The feeling of not having options, being stuck weighed on his chest and he could feel Plagg squirming around like he did when he was concerned about Adrien and what was he going to _do_ -

The sound of an unspooling magic yoyo was barely audible over the shouting people. Ladybug executed a graceful mid-air somersault and landed in the middle of the crowd a few feet away from Adrien.

"Need a lift?"

Adrien blinked. That was not what he expected her to say.

Ladybug cringed. "You were looking a little trapped. I can get you out of here, if you want."

"Please," Adrien said, taking an eager step towards her.

The crowd’s shouting broke through their conversation for a moment.

"Ladybug, do you know Adrien?"

"Is there an akuma?"

"Is it true that you and Chat Noir live together and are getting a dog?"

"Adrien, how do you know Ladybug?"

"No questions! And I'm more of a hamster person than a dog person," Ladybug said. She looped an arm around Adrien's waist, gave a tug to her yoyo string, and they flew into the air. She got them a few streets away before setting down behind a bus stop on a quiet street.

"Thank you, Ladybug," Adrien said. He still didn't know what she was doing here, but the weight on his chest had lifted and he felt his shoulders relaxing. He hadn't even realized they were tense before. "There isn't an akuma or something that I'm keeping you from, is there?"

"Oh, no, there isn't," she said with a smile. "I saw you could use some help so I figured I'd offer. I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving me the other week. The least I could do is repay you in kind."

"Yeah, I wasn't sure what I was going to do if that went on much longer," Adrien said. "Usually my bodyguard or my father's assistant is there to get rid of them. I... sort of left without letting them know."

"Sneaking out somewhere fun?" Ladybug asked.

"My best friend's birthday party is in ten minutes. I wanted to make an appearance, even if it'll be pretty easy for my father to figure out where I went."

"Ah! Party? Is that- that's today? Today's the fifteenth already? I didn't even- uh- well! Let's... let's get you to that party! Quickly, don't want you to be late! Heh. Haha. Yeah..."

Adrien wasn't sure where the sudden awkwardness came from, but Ladybug seemed to be holding herself a little farther away from him as she wrapped her arm around him again.

It was only halfway there that Ladybug asked, "So, uh, where's the party?"

"Just down this way. I'll tell you when to turn."

Arriving with Ladybug made quite the entrance for Adrien. She wanted to duck out immediately, but Adrien and Nino managed to convince her to stay for a few selfies and autographs. When she finally convinced them she needed to go, Adrien walked her to the door.

"Thanks again for the save," he said, looking down at his orange shoes. "It meant a lot."

"No, thank you," Ladybug said. "You're strong, you would have been fine if I hadn't been there. You really saved me the other day. My family and friends, especially Chat, are safe because you went out of your way to help me. I'll never forget that, Adrien."

"Any time," Adrien said, looking up at her. "Seriously. Any time, anything you need. If I can help, I'll be there."

Ladybug blushed and took a step back, her hands gesturing but no words accompanying.

"Stay safe," Adrien said.

"You too," she whispered.

And she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com if you like :)


	6. Andre Has Some Explaining To Do (Andre's Ice Cream)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ice cream shenanigans where Ladybug wonders about the generic physical description her ice cream gives and Nathalie makes assumptions about Adrien's ice cream.

Ladybug watched Andre hand another couple their ice cream, smiling and waving to them as they walked away. She tried to come up with another reason why she was observing the ice cream man from a rooftop for the third night this week. There really was none. She was just... curious. And... and as one of the heroes of Paris, she could ask for ice cream, right? And it's not like she *really* believed in what Andre said about his ice cream, right? This would just prove that it wasn't real. Right? If Andre made Ladybug a different ice cream than he made Marinette, that meant it wasn't real. If he made the same as last time though, that was at least a good sign that one day, Adrien would like her back. So, either way, win-win, right?

She made up her mind. No more skulking. Ask for the ice cream.

She zipped her yoyo across the street from him and swung to land next to him. Her yoyo retracted and she turned to Andre with her best Hero Smile.

"Hello, Andre!"

"Ladybug! Come to sample my ice cream at last?"

"Yes, if you don't mind."

He started scooping ice cream into a cone. "Ah, I can see it in your eyes, Ladybug. You're not so sure that Andre's ice cream is really magic." He held out his creation to her. "That's okay. You'll see in time."

"So, what's in this one?" she asked.

"Peach and mint, like his lips and eyes." Adrien. "A certain cat will be happy to see that, I'm sure."

Wait, what now?

"Oh, no, I don't think this-"

"Trust Andre! Tell Chat Noir to stop by, I'm sure his ice cream will remind him of a certain Lady, too."

"That's not-"

"Well, I have to pack up for the night, Ladybug. Thank you for letting me make you ice cream. I hope the magic works for you soon."

She stood there, ice cream dripping on her hand, pedestrians passing, and Andre packing up his cart while she tried to figure out what had just happened.

/*****/

"Can we stop?" Adrien asked as his driver passed Andre's ice cream a few days later.

"We have ice cream at home, Adrien," Nathalie said.

"But it's magic ice cream!"

"I'm sure we have that at home too," she said, not looking up from her tablet.

"Please?"

The kitten eyes worked better on the Gorilla than Nathalie, and the car pulled to the side of the road as soon as it was safe.

"Adrien, we don't have time-"

"Thanks, Nathalie, I'll be right back!"

She sighed and got out of the car to follow him. There was no line, so Adrien was already halfway through the ice cream getting process when Nathalie caught up to him.

"-blackberry for her hair, blueberry for her eyes," Nathalie heard Andre say as she got close enough to hear.

"Thank you, Andre!" Adrien said. He turned to see Nathalie frowning at him, but he had expected as much.

"Do you want any, Nathalie?"

"No."

She led him back to the car, ignoring Andre's cries that his magic would work for her, too.

"Adrien, I know the ice cream is supposed to symbolize your true love," Nathalie started, adjusting her glasses like she did when Adrien had done something to inconvenience her. "But you should know that your father is not the biggest fan of Miss Dupain-Cheng. She may have won his-"

"Wait, what?"

The stricken look on Adrien's face confused her. Did the boy know any other girls with black hair and blue eyes? Nathalie didn't hear what the strawberry and chocolate ice cream symbolized, but the hair and eye color was fairly distinct.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng is probably not the best person with whom to get involved at the moment."

"Nathalie, Marinette and I are just friends!"

Nathalie took a deep breath. She remembered Gabriel saying the same about Emilie many years before. This could not possibly end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com if you like :)


	7. Princess Bride Style (Princess Style)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien does something dumb in the name of getting away to transform. Ladybug is Westley from The Princess Bride.

The building was on fire.

Technically, it was being consumed by flames made of ice, but the effect was the same. Adrien was trapped in Chloe's room on the fourth floor, the ice-fire right outside her door. Too high to jump, and no way to reach the stairs at the end of the hall was readily available. Plus Chloe had been attached to his arm since the first icicle had fallen within a few meters of her. He had no escape and nowhere to transform.

"Look, it's Ladybug!" Chloe dragged Adrien to the window and waved frantically with the arm that wasn't attached to him. "Ladybug, save us!"

Perfect. Ladybug may not like Chloe, but she always saved her. And because she didn't like her, she might be willing to go along with a harebrained scheme to help him avoid his friend for a while.

"Just a second, I'll find a way up to you!" Ladybug yelled back. She stood directly under their window, surveying the building side, probably looking for somewhere to hook her yoyo.

When Adrien judged that Ladybug was close enough, he pulled his arm from Chloe's grasp and shoved the screen out of the window.

"Ladybug, catch!" he yelled.

Before either girl could stop him, Adrien threw himself out the window. Adrien, who had seen The Princess Bride sixty or seventy times, easily saw himself in the role of Princess Buttercup. He also could see Ladybug as Westley, the Dread Pirate Roberts.

What he didn't expect for some reason, despite his extensive experience with plummeting, was how fast he was falling. He wasn't worried, Ladybug would catch him, but falling with his back to the ground was definitely a different experience than falling and facing the ground, seeing how much time he had left.

As expected, he landed, princess style, in Ladybug's arms.

"Uh, hi," Adrien said.

She looked scared. Absolutely terrified. He knew she would catch him, what was there to be upset about?

She looked scared only until she looked angry.

She dropped him from her arms onto his butt on the sidewalk.

"What. Was. That," Ladybug asked, fists on her hips, glaring down at him while he stared back up at her.

"I knew it would be fine," Adrien said, struggling to his feet. "Plus it saved time! Now you only have to rescue Chloe."

Now for part two of his plan. Chloe would demand Ladybug's attention for her own rescue and he could sneak off and transform. And as Chloe started shrieking, he knew he had made the right choice.

"Don't go far," Ladybug said, turning to him. "We're going to talk about the right and wrong ways to request a rescue as soon as I'm done here."

Adrien nodded, trying to suppress a smile. She was right, civilians should not do what he just did, and he would take her lecture seriously even if it didn't apply to him.

But first, to sneak off and transform.

/*****/

The battle ended and Ladybug sighed.

"What's up, Bugaboo?"

"I have to go lecture a civilian before I transform back."

"Save the lecture for another day," Chat said. "Hang out with me instead!"

"Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt to think about, but then they did something absolutely ridiculously stupid and it made you look at them in a whole new light and reevaluate all your life choices that led you to liking them so much?"

"Can't say I ha-" Chat stumbled over the last word as what she'd just said hit him. It was possible someone else had done something stupid in front of her today and that's what she was talking about, but... but she had just been talking about needing to go tell the Adrien side of him off. Ladybug wasn't one for non-sequiturs, so the most logical conclusion was-

"He's generally not this stupid, so I don't know where jumping out a window into my arms came from," Ladybug said, shaking her head.

Chat heard himself say, "Maybe he likes you?"

She laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "That'll be the day, kitty. That'll be the day."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com if you like :)


	8. Behind Their Backs (Secret Meeting)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The superhero team meets without its founding members.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure no one's surprised by this, but Chloe is Queen Bee and Carapace is Nino. I almost switched them. Almost.

"This needs to be quick since this isn't my patrol night."

Queen Bee's self centered demand wasn't surprising after the past two years working together, but Rena Rouge found herself annoyed anyway.

"I'm not going to rush something this important just for you," Rena said. "We need to wait for Carapace anyway."

"I'm here," Carapace said, tumbling off his shield to land next to Rena and Bee. "Adrien was upset, I couldn't leave. Anyway! Why are we here, foxy?"

"Stop asking Adrien for flirting advice," Rena said, unimpressed. "We're here because I, in my quest to unmask all of you for my own personal knowledge, finally got Ladybug to confess."

"Nice, you're only missing Chat Noir," Carapace said, holding his fist up until Rena rolled her eyes and tapped her knuckles against his.

"And you're sharing that knowledge, right?" Bee asked, crossing her arms.

"Do you promise to be nice to her once I do, Chloe?" Rena crossed her arms too.

"Uh, she's Ladybug," Bee said, flipping her pony tail over her shoulder. "All I've wanted since the first time she saved me was to get to know her."

"Even if she's someone you've tortured?" Rena asked.

"If I did, it was because she's so good at protecting her identity that even I couldn't tell how awesome she is."

Rena and Carapace exchanged a look. They had been dating for three years, partners for the last year of that, and their eye conversations were world class.

"Oh my gosh it's Marinette," Carapace said.

"What?" Bee's head whipped back and forth looking between her teammates. "How do you know? Is he right? Come on, Alya!"

"He's right," she said. "So now you have to be nice to her!"

"Does she know we all know who each other are?" Bee asked.

"No," Rena said. "But that's no excuse to keep treating Marinette badly!"

"We'll see," Queen Bee put her hands on her hips. "Now, what else? You wouldn't have called us together for just that."

"'Just' she says," Carapace muttered, staring into the middle distance. "'Just' like there's anything 'just' about little Marinette having thrown me three blocks to prove a point to Chat Noir."

"I called us all together because this is, should you choose to accept, the first meeting of the 'get Ladybug and Adrien together if it kills us' club."

"No," Bee said.

"What? Why not, Chlo? Marinette's been in love with Adrien for forever, and Adrien's in love with Ladybug. It's perfect!"

"I have dibs." Bee's nose went in the air, but just under the bottom of her mask they could see her cheeks heating up a little.

"Okay, one, you can't have dibs on a person," Carapace said. "Two, which one?"

"...both."

"So Chloe's in," Rena said, turning away from her to face Carapace.

"I'm in," Carapace said before she could ask. "I just spent an hour listening to Adrien worry that he'll never stop loving Ladybug but he has no shot with Ladybug. If Ladybug is Marinette, then getting them together should be easy and decrease the amount of Sadrien I have to deal with by a factor of ten."

"I have a fourteen step plan to bring this about. Can you meet after school to help me with the Adrien-focused steps?"

"This is ridiculous!" Bee said. "He can't date a superhero, he's basically under house arrest half the time. And what about Chat Noir? Do you really not think he and Ladybug are made for each other?"

Rena shrugged. "I love that cat, there's no doubt, but M's my best friend. If I have any say in this, this is happening."

Queen Bee glared at her for a moment, then glared at Carapace for good measure before turning back to Rena Rouge.

"I swear, Alya, if more than two steps involve me being nice to Marinette, you're going to have to rework that plan of yours."

"We'll see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com if you like :)


	9. Lucky Charm Bracelet (Lucky Charm)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien asks what happens if Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm when there's no akuma. Set a few weeks after the day 2 (babysitting) drabble.

Ladybug and Adrien were sitting on the roof of his house having a picnic midnight snack. Nathalie had figured out that Adrien had been sneaking out, so she had set the alarm system on a timer. If Adrien wasn't inside by 12:30 AM he would set off the alarm when he came back. She didn't have to enforce curfew herself if he knew he would wake the whole house or get locked out if he wasn't inside in time. The pair had decided to have their date on the roof so that he wouldn’t have to go far to get home, lengthening their time together. It was nearing time and they were lying on their blanket on the roof, hands entwined and staring at the murky sky, pretending they could see the stars.

“Hey, Ladybug?” Adrien said.

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever used Lucky Charm when there’s no akuma? Just to see what would happen?”

She rolled to face him and he turned his head to her. “I’ve never thought about it,” she said. “It’s there to solve whatever problem the akuma creates. Without an akuma, what would I even use it for?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “But it would be cool to find out.”

Ladybug sat up. “Do you want to try it now? I’d have only five more minutes before I’d turn back.”

“I only have… three and a half minutes before the alarm system turns on,” Adrien said, sitting and facing her. “If you want to try it, I’d love to see what happens. You don’t have to though.”

“Now that you’ve mentioned it I’m curious.” Ladybug fidgeted for a moment, then unclipped her yoyo and held it in her hand. “Ready?”

Adrien nodded and Ladybug smiled, a little nervous. She hoped Tikki wouldn’t mind that she was going to try this.

“Lucky Charm!”

She held out her hands and caught a small beaded bracelet.

“What is it?” Adrien asked, sliding closer to see. She held it out to him and his hand closed around the beads, exactly as she remembered.

“Looks like just beads and string,” she said, remembering for once to protect her identity.

“Oh, this is so cool!” Adrien said, flipping the red and black beads over in his hands. “I have one of these. My friend Marinette made it. She’s amazing. It was her good luck charm. She let me borrow it and I just sort of… kept it. It makes me feel like I’ve got a chance, and I swear it’s turned my luck around a little. I think she’s just a lucky person, and her luck rubbed off on the bracelet. I made one for her, too, since I took hers. She seemed to like it.” He looked up at Ladybug with the biggest smile. “Maybe someday, when we don’t have to keep this a secret, you can meet her. She's one of my best friends. I think you two will really like each other." He thought for a minute, running the beads through his fingers. "Or, you probably already know each other, since the whole Evillustrator thing, right? What do you think of her?"

Ladybug's earrings beeped and she was startled enough to jump (an impressive feat while she was Ladybug, seeing as Chat Noir had made it his life's mission to sneak up on her as many times as he could).

"I, uh, don't- don't really, uh, know?" Ladybug was floundering. She stood up, pulling Adrien to his feet.

"That's okay," Adrien said, still looking at the beads with a smile on his face. "One day you'll have all the time in the world to meet the great people in my life. And I'll get to meet everyone in yours."

"Yeah," she said, stilling in the face of how happy he seemed to be when thinking of that future with no secrets between them. "Yeah, that'll be nice."

She took the Lucky Charm from Adrien and tossed it in the air, adding a quiet, "Miraculous Ladybug." The swarm of magic ladybugs flew around the two of them for a second before disappearing. Nothing seemed to have changed, so they shrugged and moved Adrien back to his room with the blanket they had been using.

"Thanks for trying that, Ladybug," Adrien said. "I had a good time."

"Thanks for suggesting it," she said. She climbed up to the sill of a window, feeling how short they were on time. "You really appreciate your friendship with Marinette that much?"

"She's one of the best people I've ever met."

Ladybug leaned down and placed a kiss on Adrien's forehead.

"See you later," she said. Her voice was muted to her ears. It probably had something to do with Adrien's words echoing in her mind.

"Good night, Ladybug."

Marinette just barely landed on her balcony before detransforming.

"How was your date?" Tikki asked. "Was there an akuma that made you use Lucky Charm?"

She shook her head, climbing into her bed and pulling a pillow to her chest.

"I was just curious what would happen," she said. "Adrien likes me. Marinette-me."

"Of course he does, Marinette!" Tikki said.

"It's nice to know for sure," Marinette said.

She fell asleep remembering Adrien's smile when he said that she was one of the best people he'd ever met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com if you like :)


	10. Shakespeare AU ((Reverse) Balcony Scene)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romeo and Juliet, Miraculous style. I am so sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry this isn’t written in iambic pentameter. My high school English teacher would be so disappointed. For a lot of reasons, but we’ll stick with that. No promises, but maybe after the month is over I’ll add a bonus chapter in iambic pentameter.

Marinette hadn't intended to sneak into the costume party at the Agreste mansion. She was from the Miraculous fashion house, a rival to Gabriel brand. But Alya had insisted, prepared with masks and costumes to blend in with the other party goers. She was Ladybug to anyone who asked, and the mask was oddly freeing, letting her stand and talk with some of the most influential names in fashion without fear of judgement for her opinions or lack of experience.

And then the most handsome man Marinette had ever met asked her to dance.

"What's your name?" he asked as he guided her expertly in a waltz.

"L-l-ladybug," she stuttered.

"Nice to meet you, Ladybug," he said.

"Yand ou? I mean, and you?"

"You don't-?" He looked surprised. "Call me Adrien."

"Adrien," she said with a dreamy smile.

It was probably only a few minutes that they danced and talked, but Marinette believed in love at first sight, and if anything was love, it was this.

She was having the time of her life until Alya ran up to her and gripped her forearm so tight she swore she'd bruise.

"Yeah so they might have figured out who I am," Alya said, dragging Marinette towards a doorway off to the side. "We should probably leave."

"What did you do?" Marinette accused.

"Not important," Alya said. "Insults may have been exchanged. But to be fair, Jagged Stone started it."

Marinette's eyes widened but she didn't ask.

"So, what were you doing with Adrien Agreste?" Alya asked, elbowing Marinette in the side as they found their way out of a back entrance. "You two looked quite cozy until I had to pull you away."

"Agreste?" Marinette asked, pulling Alya to a stop. "That was Adrien Agreste, Gabriel Agreste's son?"

"Uh, yeah, girl. Did you not know that?"

"Alya," Marinette said, turning away from Alya and putting her hands on the sides of her face. "That was Adrien Agreste and I didn't know and I fell in love with him and now he's going to figure out who I am, and that I don't belong here, and he's going to find out who else I talked to and talk to them and tell them who I am and that I don't belong and then they're all going to laugh at me and I can never work in fashion again!"

"Woah, girl," Alya said, throwing an arm around Marinette's shoulder. "He probably won't find out who you are. And do you really think you're in love with someone you danced with for like, six songs?"

"It's hopeless," Marinette said, sagging against Alya with most of her weight.

Alya noticed an upstairs light turn on and made an educated guess as to whose room it was.

"Hey, can you wait here for a minute? I forgot something inside," Alya said, walking Marinette over to stand under the balcony to the lit room.

"Sure," Marinette said, leaning back against the building.

"Great. Stay there." Alya backed up, grabbed a pebble from the ground, and tossed it at the window before bolting back to the mansion.

"Hello? Anyone there?"

Adrien. It was Adrien. Marinette's heart swelled at the sound of his voice. She didn't dare move from her spot as she heard him lean against the railing and sigh.

"Oh, Ladybug. Why did you leave?"

Marinette's hand flew to her mouth to muffle the squeak she made at his words.

"I wish you had stayed. I've never had as much fun at one of these parties as I did tonight, and that's all because of you."

He wished she had stayed! He had enjoyed their time, too!

"Father said you were probably from Miraculous. But what's really different from one fashion brand to the next? Isn't fashion itself what's important? I wish he could see that. If you were from Miraculous, you probably already see that, because you came here and were having a good time with other people who like the same things as you."

He was right. She had hoped for a better relationship between their fashion houses ever since she had started working. In so little time, he understood her so well.

"If you were here, I'd tell you to forget Miraculous, and I'll forget the Agreste name! I wanted to get to know you, Ladybug. And I didn't even catch your name."

Should she say something? She had been eavesdropping, after all. He might not like that about her. And Alya had thrown a rock at his window to make him come outside in the first place. What if he thought she had tricked him into saying all of that while she hid and listened in?

Adrien sighed again. "If only I had gotten your name..."

"It's Marinette!"

"Alya!" Marinette hissed, stepping out of the shadow to hunt down her now ex-best friend.

"You two are too cute! I'm gonna go, you two talk, okay?"

"Alya, get back here, right now!"

"My lady?"

Marinette turned to the balcony, looking up at Adrien framed in the golden glow of his balcony door.

"Hello again," she said with an awkward wave.

"You found me," he said. "I'm so glad you're here. You rescued me from that party."

"Any time you ask me to, I'll rescue you again," she said.

"Come up here, my lady," he said, holding out his hand.

She looked up at him, half a story up, and down at her outfit.

Some risks were worth taking.

She climbed up his balcony and never looked back.

 

Two fashions, both alike in dignity, In fair old Paris, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil cloth makes civil clothes unclean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com if you like :)


	11. The Aftermath of Tragedy (One Sided Reveal)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladrien Dating AU. Hawkmoth does more damage than normal and it makes Ladybug worry that she can't keep Adrien safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enbyred, my dear sister, thank you for always helping me fuel the angst.  
> I can't seem to escape the Ladrien Dating AU, so here's more.

It didn't work.

It didn't make sense.

The moment after the Miraculous Cure, the recently de-akumatized person lashed out in confusion.

The first official, permanent casualty.

Hawkmoth's first "real" kill.

Ladybug had tried to save them even as her earrings beeped down. Chat had to drag her away. He held her as she cried, detransformed, in his arms. He swore his eyes were closed the whole time, and she trusted him. Eventually she had to return home. Defeated. Detached.

Her parents were worried. Both for the city and for their daughter who didn't want to leave her room, who seemed inconsolable.

There was a public funeral. Ladybug attended, expecting the public to blame her, to call her out for her failure. Instead she found only support. Her loss was their loss.

She was surprised that Chat hadn't attended, too, until she remembered he had once said he didn't go to funerals. He couldn't handle them. He felt he had to keep an emotionless public facade, but in the face of so much grief and sorrow, it was too much for him. He grieved in private, where he could fully feel what he needed to. She couldn't remember why he had told her this, but she now remembered and she needed to find him and let him know he could always drop that facade around her, grieve with her, as the only other person who really understood what it meant to fail as a hero.

Ladybug exited the church and looked around at those who had gathered with her. She recognized a few faces, but not many. She hadn't known the victim in real life.

And then, of all the voices calling her name, one stood out.

"Ladybug." Adrien's hand landed on her arm.

Adrien. She needed to talk to him.

"We can't be seen together," she said.

"I figured you would come here. I couldn't make myself go in, but I waited for you out here. Please talk to me."

She let out a shaky breath and shook her head, turning away from him.

"Meet me at your school. It should be empty today."

Adrien agreed and left. Ladybug went to talk to the grieving family, to assure them that their loved one would never be forgotten, that she would take vengeance on Hawkmoth in her name. They thanked her. Thanked her, after her failure. She couldn't keep anyone safe, now could she?

Ladybug found Adrien sitting on a bench behind the school, twisting the ring on his finger. She sat down next to him, a few inches away.

"We can't keep doing this," she said, staring at the school building before her. "It's not safe. It's not fair to you. I'm putting you in danger. Real, permanent danger."

"No," Adrien said. "No one's found out about us yet. And you don't get to decide what's fair to me. I want to be yours, Ladybug. That's all I've ever wanted."

"I can't protect you, Adrien!" she said, turning her tear stained face to look at him. "I barely survived this. I still might not. I couldn't bear going on if you were hurt by being close to me."

"If you leave me, you will hurt me," Adrien said, grabbing her hand. "It would break my heart. Don't do this."

"If I go, I break your heart for a little while," she said, pulling her hand back into her lap. "If I stay, I risk breaking both of us forever."

"That's not true, Ladybug."

"It is! Adrien, why don't you get it? Someone's died, and it's my fault! There's only so much I can fix, and it's not enough. So let me fix this. Let me keep you safe the only way I know how."

Adrien frowned and spun the ring on his finger again.

"Come with me," he said, standing and holding out a hand.

"No, Adrien, just... just let this be over, please. I can't keep doing this."

"I need to show you something. It will take two minutes, and after that, if you still disagree with me, I'll let you go. Okay?"

She almost left. But something in his eyes, something unfamiliar on Adrien's face, but familiar in general, made her take his hand and follow him into the school. He took her into the nearest boy's bathroom and stepped back.

"Please, forgive me, My Lady."

And then there was a kwami. And then her best friend replaced her boyfriend. And then she realized her boyfriend was her best friend and partner.

"You don't have to worry about keeping me safe, Bugaboo. I can handle myself."

She stared at him, mouth hanging open for a second.

"Please say something," he said, taking half a step towards her.

"I just... I can't believe it."

"That bad, huh?" he asked, ducking his head. "I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn't have tricked you. But you do like this side of me. Or, did."

"I can't believe you're... you." She knew she wasn't getting across the message she wanted to, but this was a lot to handle.

"But see? I'm not in any danger. You don't have to-"

"You're in _more_  danger, you silly cat!" She threw her arms in the air before settling her hands on her hips. "Do you know how many times you've already died? It's a lot."

"I... but I don't... The point is, if you're capable of taking care of yourself, I'm capable of taking care of myself. I'm still Adrien, Bugaboo. But you don't have to worry about me being a civilian any more."

"I really can't believe this," she said again, her arms falling to her sides.

Chat Noir fidgeted for a moment, ears back and shoulders slumped. "Okay. Okay. I'm sorry, Ladybug. I'll keep my promise, I'll leave you alone." He detransformed and caught his kwami, who took one look at Adrien's face and nuzzled against his cheek. He took a shaky breath and started towards the door.

"You dork," she said, laughing. She threw her arms around his neck, stopping him from leaving. "You absolute dork. I love you. This doesn't solve everything, but I love you. I'm so glad you're you."

It took a few long conversations and eventually Ladybug revealing who she was, but there were some things easier to face together. Together with your best friend.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	12. Videos Don't Lie (Blushing)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone submits a video of Ladybug blushing every time she sees or is asked about Adrien to the Ladyblog.

"Dude, did you see this?"

Nino's phone was facing away from Adrien, so he had no idea if he had seen whatever it was or not. He shifted closer, hoping whatever it was wouldn't take long because class was starting soon.

"What's this?" Adrien asked. Nino unpaused his screen and images of Ladybug played. Ladybug blushing, stuttering, gesturing wildly. It looked familiar for a moment, and Adrien wondered if Nino had a lead on Ladybug's identity.

"This is a compilation of every time Ladybug has seen you or been asked about you, dude."

"Seriously?" Adrien asked, taking the phone from Nino's hand for a closer look.

"Yeah, someone submitted it to the Ladyblog last night. The description has more details on each time, and some of the clips have audio."

"Ladybug doesn't usually act like this," Adrien said. It was a bit obvious to point out, but he was too surprised not to say it.

"I know! Someone's got a crush on you, dude."

"Nino! What the hell?"

Alya stormed in the room and glared down at Nino, arms crossed and stance threatening.

"Woah, Alya, I was just showing him the video of Ladybug." Nino held his hands up defensively, nodding to the screen in Adrien's hands. He was on his second loop through the short video, pausing every few seconds to try and figure out where and when each section had been recorded.

"Oh. That. So what? So a superhero has a crush on him, big deal," Alya said, taking her seat. "A superhero would be terrible to date. Always cancelling plans to save the world. And dangerous! Superheroes attract enemies. Better to date someone nice and sweet and normal."

Adrien ignored Alya and Nino's continued conversation about the pros and cons of dating Ladybug as he looped a third time through the video. She definitely acted like a girl with a crush, from what he could tell.

Marinette rushed into the classroom with seconds to spare and dropped into her seat. She looked at her friends. Alya and Nino were arguing and Adrien was watching something on Nino's phone.

"Um, Adrien? Why are they fighting?' Marinette whispered as the teacher entered the room and started to call for quiet.

"It's silly," he said, looking away as he handed Nino's phone back to him. "There's a video that makes it look like Ladybug has a crush on me. They're fighting about what it would be like to date a superhero."

Marinette nodded and tried not to look like she wanted to dissolve into the floor. There was a video like that out there, with people watching it? Could this possibly be _more_  embarrassing?

That evening Marinette remembered the video Adrien had mentioned and decided to see for herself just how bad it was. She started searching the Ladyblog for Adrien's name. The video she was looking for was the second result in the list. The first one was a video titled "Adrien Agreste blushes every time someone mentions Ladybug".

Well she couldn't not watch that, now could she?

The video of Ladybug's reactions to Adrien was just shy of two minutes long. The video of Adrien blushing and smiling every time someone said "Ladybug" was over five minutes long. To be fair, he was interviewed a lot more frequently than she was. Every time Adrien was asked what he thought of Ladybug, every time he was filmed being saved by Ladybug, every time he had steered an interviewer's question towards Ladybug, he had a shy smile and a bright blush.

Did Adrien Agreste have a crush on Ladybug?

Only one way to find out.

"Tikki, Spots On!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	13. Circus AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug works with Chat Noir to perform as trapeze artists for Gabriel's Traveling Circus. She has a crush on Adrien the petting zoo attendant.

The crowd was still cheering. Ladybug pushed her mask up to her forehead, scrubbing at her eyes. Every time she swung on the trapeze and heard the crowd she felt invincible. All acrobatics excited her, but swinging high above the crowd, that swooping feeling was her favorite. This wasn't how she had expected her life to turn out, but she was happy. She traveled the world with Gabriel's Traveling Circus. She had her acrobatics partner, Chat Noir. She worked teaching juggling lessons when she wasn't in the spotlight. Everything was great. Now if only she could get her crush, the circus master's son, Adrien the petting zoo attendant, to notice her.

“Hey, girl! Any word on who your handsome partner is?”

Alya plucked a cotton candy down for Ladybug as she approached the refreshments booth. Ladybug would spend a couple hours after her performance walking around in costume to greet people and talk up the other acts. A stop to get cotton candy was always part of her circuit. Plus, Alya always had the best gossip.

“You ask me that every day,” Ladybug said, waving to a passing family.

“And you tell me you don't know every day,” Alya said. “One of these days you'll find out and I'll be the second person in the company to know.”

“I heard not even Gabriel know who he is,” Ladybug said. “Master Fu hired him behind Gabriel's back.”

“Crazy,” Alya said. “Here, take a pretzel for your crush.” She put a hot soft pretzel into a bag and handed it to Ladybug.

“Oh, no, I don't- I'm not- what- what crush? I don't have a crush!”

“Uh huh. So you just happen to stop and watch Adrien every day?”

“I like looking at the fuzzy animals!”

“Right. Well then, take the pretzel for yourself.”

Ladybug gave in and left with the pretzel. She would have to find some way to convince Alya that she was wrong about her crush later. Right  now she was going to… visit the petting zoo. For no reason! Just because it was there, and the goats were cute. And the fluffy sheep. And she could say hello to the circus visitors over there. Yes, this was definitely a good plan.

And if she happened to spot-

“Ladybug!”

Adrien's face lit up. He was gorgeous.

“Come meet the newest baby goat. He was born a few nights ago.”

Adrien showed off the tiny kid and exhausted momma as Ladybug clutched her pretzel and tried not to get lost in the sound of Adrien's voice.

“You were amazing today,” Adrien said when a group of kids pushed them out of the way to see the new goat.

“I never see you in the crowd,” Ladybug said. “But you're always so sure my act was good.”

“I have a good spot to see you from,” he said, giving her a shy smile. “Are you going to eat that?” Adrien asked, nodding to her pretzel.

“Oh! No. Do you want it?”

“I wouldn't want it to go to waste.”

She handed over the treat and they walked around to see the rest of the animals. Adrien tested Ladybug on how many of the animals’ names she knew.

Ladybug could tell she was getting close to the time she needed to head to change before her shift teaching juggling, so she took a piece of pretzel to feed to her favorite goat to say goodbye.

“What do you think of Chat Noir?” Adrien asked as he walked her to the entrance.

“Too many puns,” she said immediately.

“That's, uh, not what I-”

“I know what you meant,” she said, trying not to laugh at flustered Adrien. “He's great. Lots of fun. Nowhere near as cute as you.”

They both froze, staring at each other with blank expressions.

“Okaythanksenjoyyourpretzelbye!”

Adrien watched Ladybug all but run in the direction of the personal trailers used for changing from costumes to street clothes and vice versa. He could follow her, watch which trailer she entered, wait until she came back out and learn who she was finally. But he didn't. He wanted her to tell him in her own time.

And really, even if he wanted to follow her, he was still a little too stunned from what she'd said to do much other than stand in place and follow her with his eyes. How should he take being told one side of him was cuter than the other? Especially since she had a preference for the side not wearing a black spandex acrobatics costume?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not shown:  
> Tightrope walker Alix  
> Stilts walkers Sabrina and Rose  
> Clowns Ivan and Mylene  
> Ring Master Chloe  
> Strong Man Kim  
> Unicycle Rider Max  
> Knife Thrower Juleka  
> Face Painter Nathaniel
> 
> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	14. Sweaters and Poems (Reverse Crush)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug visit Adrien for help with a project and finds something that makes her question how she acts around him.

“Hey, dork.”

“I knew I shouldn't have left the window unlocked,” Adrien teased without looking up from his homework.

“Oh no, now you're stuck with a superhero in your bedroom without any adult's knowledge or permission,” Ladybug said, flopping on the couch with a dramatic hand over her forehead.

“I think I'll survive,” Adrien said. He finish noting down his answer for his current question and spun his desk chair around to face Ladybug. “What's on the agenda for tonight? Need help with physics again? Finally giving me that Ultimate Mecha Strike rematch?”

Ladybug sat up and looked him in the eye. “I need you for your body.”

Adrien's eyebrows rose and his arms crossed. "What about Chat Noir? You have your children's names picked out."

"I need you to try on a sweater I've been working on," Ladybug said, holding up the bag she had brought with her. "You're about Chat's size."

Adrien grinned and pulled off his over shirt. "I should have known."

Ladybug worked around Adrien as he stood quietly, letting her move about with a tape measure and pins and fabric. She chattered away at him about how excited she was to give Chat her present. Adrien was glad he had a convincing, photoready fake surprise face for when she gave it to him. He really hadn't believed everyone when they told him that Ladybug was in love with Chat Noir. Not until Ladybug had started hanging out with him as Adrien a few nights a week and confessed it to his face.

"I should have put on a movie to watch while standing still," Adrien joked.

"I'm almost done," Ladybug said around a mouthful of pins.

When she had packed up her sewing things, Ladybug turned back to Adrien only to find him across the room moving things around on his desk.

"What are you doing?" she asked, coming to stand next to him.

"I pulled out these two movies because I thought you'd like them and now I can't find them. Do you want to stay for a movie? If you have to get back-"

"A movie sounds fun. What are the titles? I'll look while you go get popcorn."

He told her what to look for and headed to the kitchen. Ladybug didn't see any DVDs on Adrien's desk, so she started looking further. On his nightstand, she saw something with her name on it. "Marinette" was written in beautiful penmanship and,  ~~being the kind of person to break into lockers and steal phones~~  on an impulse, she unfolded the paper to read what was inside.

A poem. A love poem, specifically. Adrien had written a beautiful poem to Marinette.

Ladybug put the paper back as close to exactly where she took it from as she could and continued her search, but her mind was elsewhere now. She had thought this was a good idea. She visited Adrien because he was lonely, because he didn't seem to pretend to be someone else nearly as much when he was with her. And a little bit because she liked his company and there was no chance of accidentally leading him on if he didn't know she was Marinette. But now she wondered if this was the right thing after all. Whether or not he knew she was Marinette, she was, and this felt dishonest.

She finally found the DVDs on the floor behind Adrien's desk. She chose one at random and stuck it in the DVD player, settling on the couch with a throw blanket around her shoulders. Maybe she should leave. Make an excuse and head home where she wouldn't be lying to anyone.

"Oh, good choice!" Adrien said when he returned with popcorn and soda. "I figured you'd choose this one first."

Adrien noticed something was off about Ladybug, something had changed in the past ten minutes, but he didn't comment. She would tell him if she wanted to, and if she could do so without putting her identity in danger. Slowly as the movie wore on Ladybug relaxed again and shifted closer to him on the couch until she was leaning against him, his arm around her shoulders.

"Why are you so comfortable with me?" Ladybug asked.

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked, his eyes leaving the screen and returning to Ladybug.

"Most people get flustered or formal or weird when they interact with me one on one."

"You're the one that swung into my room one day because I looked sad," Adrien joked.

He hadn't just "looked sad" that day. Adrien had been alone in his room and crying. Seeing her usually flirty, happy classmate that upset had driven Ladybug into his room without a second thought. He had never told her what had upset him that day, and she had been visiting him ever since.

"I guess," Ladybug said. She let herself get absorbed in the movie again before asking, "Are you ever going to tell me what happened that day?"

The day Ladybug first visited. At first when she burst through his partially open window to land on the floor in a dramatic hero pose, he thought she had figured out who he was and was there to tell him off. Instead she had asked what was wrong and tried to comfort him. She was caring and warm and friendly without being awkward and shy and saying the most inappropriate things by accident. (She did occasionally on purpose to make him laugh though.) It was a side of his partner he hadn't had the pleasure of meeting before and it was a bright spot on that otherwise awful day.

"Soon," he said. "I'll tell you about it soon, but not yet."

Ladybug looked at him for a minute before settling back into his side and resting her head against him without a word.

When the movie was over Ladybug folded the throw blanket and stood.

"Thanks for your help," she said, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "I'll let you know how he likes it."

"He'll love it, I guarantee," Adrien said.

Ladybug swung her way back across the city and Adrien went back to his desk. He jostled the screens before him awake and was greeted by his mother's sunshine smile. It only served to remind him of how cold she was in the basement, frozen in time, waiting for Hawkmoth's wish.

He would tell Ladybug soon. But not just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	15. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug needs a little help from Adrien. Adrien later needs some help from Ladybug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm an alto. Fite me.

"I can trust you with this, right?" Ladybug asked.

"I will do everything I can to show you that I deserve that trust," Adrien said.

"Okay." She took a breath and leaned back against the wall of the utility closet. "I need you to find... cookies."

"Cookies." He started to turn his head towards her, but even in the dark he didn't want to risk it.

"Yes, cookies. The source of my power needs to recharge, and... it does that with cookies."

"Magic cookies?" _Good cover, Agreste_ , he thought. _Best to sound like you don’t have to get cheese to power your own kwami_.

"No, I just need... regular cookies."

"Okay. I can do that."

Adrien stood carefully, not wanting to fall over in the dark and knock something into Ladybug.

"And the akuma is a soprano, so if she corners you, compliment her singing and she should decide not to turn you into a frog."

"Right. I'll be back in a flash!"

When Adrien returned with her cookies, he opened the door only enough to hand in the treat. When he felt it taken from his grip, he sat with his back to the door.

"Did that work?" Adrien asked a minute later.

"What do you think?"

The door opened and Ladybug stepped out.

"Oh good," he said with a grin, jumping to his feet. "Good luck, Ladybug. I hope Chat Noir turns up soon."

"He will," she said. "I trust him."

/*****/

"Adrien?" Ladybug landed next to him in the quiet, out of the way alley. "Alya said you had to speak to me, that it was urgent."

"Sorry I had to contact you through her. You're the only one I trust," he said.

"What do you mean?"

He held up his hand, showing her the small burn mark and bruising on the finger that had held his ring. "I mean I don't know who to trust except you, Bugaboo. Someone took my Miraculous. You're the only person that I know for sure didn't do it. I need your help."

She stared at the spot that had held his ring, reaching for his hand and flipping it over to see the other side was just as bruised.

"I told you once that I would do anything to earn your trust," he said. "I know this looks suspicious, me showing up without my Miraculous and needing help. What if I've changed sides? What if this is a trap? But I promise you, My Lady, I'll still do anything so you'll trust me."

"I trust you, Kitty." She squeezed his hand. "Do you trust me?"

"I just said it, you're the only one I trust," he said, looking deep into her eyes.

"Okay then. Spots off."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	16. Clingy (Goodbye Kiss)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien wakes up from his nap to find Ladybug leaving. He doesn't want her to. Aged up, because I'm accidentally doing aged up the day before tomorrow's prompt, "Aged Up" which will also feature them being... aged up.

"Hey, Adrien."

The quiet voice broke through his dreams and Adrien almost rolled off the couch where he was napping.

"Okay, let's not fall and give you a concussion," Ladybug said, one hand stabilizing his hip, the other his shoulder.

"I wouldn't get a concussion from the height of the couch," Adrien said, sitting up and trying to pull his Lady into his lap.

"A nasty bump on the head, then," she said, trying (but not trying very hard) to squirm out of his arms. "I have to go, Kitty. The city won't patrol itself."

"It would if you asked," Adrien said.

"You think I haven't tried?" she asked, laughing and letting him pull her back down beside him.

"Don't go," he said, nuzzling her neck. "Napping makes me clingy."

"I know it does," she said, running a hand through his hair. "I told you not to, but someone was up working on grading philosophy finals until three in the morning and just couldn't stay awake."

"Why am I a teaching assistant again?" he asked, trying to press her back into the couch so he could stretch out and relax again. She was resisting, but only barely.

"You like teaching, remember? Now let me up, I'll put on a movie when I get back and we can snuggle on the couch while you finish grading, okay?"

"Just skip," he said. "There's no rule that says you have to patrol."

"I need to get out, kitty. You know exactly what it feels like, needing to transform and see the city from the rooftops. I'll be back soon."

"I'll be bored without you," he said, nuzzling her again.

"You'll be fine," she said. "Go back to sleep. I only woke you to tell you I was leaving."

Ladybug pulled herself from Adrien's grasp and walked to the window she had propped open earlier in the night.

"If you leave, I'm going to insist on watching anime when you get back," Adrien warned, leaning against the wall and lacing his fingers through hers.

"I love you, I'm leaving," she said, pulling him closer for a kiss. He tried to deepen the kiss to distract her but she pulled away, laughing.

"Stop that!" she said. "It's only ninety minutes."

"It's always an eternity when I'm without you, My Lady."

"How did I fall for someone so cheesy?" she asked, kissing him again.

"Plagg rubbed off on me after a while."

"You shouldn't say that like it's a bad thing," Plagg said from the kitchen. "Cheesy is the best thing to be."

"I love you both," Ladybug said. "Goodbye."

She got halfway out the window before Adrien pulled her back for another kiss.

"Goodbye, Adrien," she said, putting a finger to his nose and pushing him back.

"I'll leave you dinner in the fridge," he said.

"Love you," she called, tossing her yoyo into the night.

"Love you."

Twenty minutes later Ladybug realized she had an extra shadow.

"What happened to making dinner?" she asked, letting Chat catch up to her.

"I made dinner. It's in the fridge, like I said. We can eat it together."

"So clingy," she said as he wrapped and arm around her waist.

"Only with you."

The Ladyblog featured a picture of a very steamy LadyNoir rooftop kiss the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	17. Chili For Dinner (Aged Up)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien gets a call from Ladybug while he's shopping for dinner. They have a slight disagreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: pregnancy.

"Hey, sweetie," Adrien said, pushing his grocery cart around with one hand, holding his phone to his ear with the other. "Did you need anything from the store? I'm craving chili and we're out of beans."

"Oh, that sounds nice. Could you grab paper towels and pasta sauce? And I think we're low on- crap!"

There was a lot of commotion in the background and the distinct sound of-

"Is that gunfire?" Adrien hissed into his phone, pulling to the side of the aisle. "Where are you right now?"

"It's just a little bank robbery," Ladybug said. "We're low on toothpaste, I was saying."

"Listen, _Ladybug_ , we agreed you would at least text me before heading out," Adrien said, running a hand through his hair. "You agreed. In fact, you suggested it."

"Um... I forgot."

"For the fifth time this month?"

"Why are you keeping-" There was some rustling over the phone, followed by Ladybug's voice, muffled and distant but sounding like she was shouting. "I took down Hawkmoth, do you seriously think you're any match for me? Just put your guns down already! Save us some time, I have stuff to do!" More rustling, then she was back. "Why are you keeping track? That seems unfair, kitty."

"You know I trust you out there, and support your decision to keep your Miraculous and keep doing the hero thing, but I need to know where you are and when you're transformed or my anxiety is going to eat me alive."

Ladybug sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry. Can you do me a favor and tell Tikki about this when we get home? She's got a great memory and while I've got pregnancy brain I'm going to need a little help to remember to let you know."

"That sounds like a good idea," Adrien said. He resumed shopping, feeling himself relax. All he wanted was to feel informed and she understood, even if she wasn't doing a great job of keeping up her side of things.

"Okay, these jerks aren't listening to me and they're getting antsy, I need to yoyo them to the ceiling or something," Ladybug said.

"Okay. Go be heroic, 'bug."

"Thanks. Love you, Chat."

"Love you."

"Oh, don't forget cookies! Tikki's mad I keep eating hers."

"Will do."

/*****/

Adrien had just finished unpacking the groceries when Ladybug somersaulted through the open window to land in the perfect hero crouch next to the piano.

"How'd it go?" Adrien asked, coming over to wrap his wife in a hug.

"You know, the usual. Wrap them in yoyo string, break their weapons, usher the hostages out, have the chief of police scold me for talking on the phone during a bank robbery."

"Did you tell him you were talking to Chat Noir and that he worries if he doesn't hear from his pregnant wife?"

"Yes, and he congratulated us before continuing his lecture. He wants to send a baby gift."

"Yeah, that sounds like Roger."

They stood in their living room, wrapped in each other's arms and enjoyed the quiet peace of their home for a moment. This is all either of them had ever wanted.

"Why don't you detransform and I'll start dinner?"

"Spots off."

Tikki spun out of the earrings and flitted around to kiss Marinette's cheek, her little baby bump, and Adrien's cheek before going off to hunt down Plagg.

"So, chili for dinner?"

"I forgot to get beans," Adrien said. "Someone called and distracted me."

"What can I say, Chat? You're just so easy to distract."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	18. Why Don't You Tell Me? (Valentine)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's alone on Valentine's Day and a certain superhero wants to know why.

Adrien left Chloe's Valentine's Day party early, walking into the cold night and finally feeling like he could hear himself think. He walked in the opposite direction of his house and kept going, glad his bodyguard hadn't come with him, seeing as the party was next door to his house. He walked with no particular goal, enjoying the quiet crunch of the fresh snow under his boots and the whistle of wind, just barely loud enough to hear over the noise of the sleeping city. It was beautiful, and he let his mind wander to the beautiful thing he was missing that night: Ladybug. She had been annoyed the last time he saw her, something about not being invited to a party, and all he had wanted was to bring her as his date to Chloe's party. The party wasn't much fun alone, and even though Nino and Alya tried to cheer him up, he just felt like he was keeping them from enjoying their own relationship with his loneliness.

Adrien wandered past the Dupain-Cheng bakery and maybe he was imagining things, but he swore he could still smell the heavenly bakery scents even though they had closed hours before. He looked up at the living spaces above the bakery and saw that Marinette's light was the only one still on. He hoped she had spent the day with someone she loved, but he was pretty sure she wasn't seeing anyone.

He continued on and was just getting cold enough to think about heading back when an angel fell from heaven. Or, really, Ladybug swung over him to drop down to the sidewalk before him.

"Ladybug! Hi!"

"Hi, Adrien." They had run into each other many times because of akuma attacks (he _was_ always close to the scene as Chat Noir, after all), but it still warmed his heart that she remembered who he was. "I saw you wandering around and wanted to make sure you were okay. It's Valentine's Day, after all. I expected someone handsome like you to be having a nice dinner with someone cute, or at a party with a pretty date on your arm."

Adrien frowned. "I'm not like that. I don't take people out on dates because they're cute or because I need a date on my arm."

"Sorry, I guess that's not what I meant," Ladybug said, scratching the back of her head. "I'm just surprised you're not doing Valentines Day things, with or without someone. I'm sure there must be someone you like, and they would probably be thrilled if you asked them out."

"Who says there's someone I like?" Adrien asked, crossing his arms and turning away from her a little, but giving the slightest smile.

"My mistake, then," Ladybug said, smirking back. "You're a strong, independent model. You don't need anyone or anything. I guess I'm just full of assumptions today."

"Well, you weren't wrong about that last one," Adrien said, shifting closer to her. "There is someone I like."

Chat Noir Mode Activated.

"Oh," she said. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but did she seem disappointed? "They must be something special, to grab your eye. I bet you two had a fun Valentine's night, right?"

"Actually, I didn't see her until just recently," he said, taking another step forward. "All day I was dreaming of her, and wishing I could tell her how I feel, but I had to spend almost the whole day alone, watching all the happy couples around me."

"Oh,” she said again. "Well, did you tell her when you saw her? What did she say?"

"I don't know," he said, closing the distance between them and putting a hand on her hip. "Why don't you tell me?"

He kissed her. The lightest, briefest kiss, holding himself back from how he really wanted to kiss her, from showing her what she meant to him.

"Adrien," she breathed when he pulled away, raising a hand to rest on his chest. For a second he thought she was about to shove him back and storm off, and he braced for the impact to his heart.

But instead she gripped his jacket and pulled him in for another kiss. This one quickly deepened, and Adrien wrapped his arms around her, wanting her as close as his winter clothes would allow her to be. They kissed until he was starting to get light headed and she broke the kiss with a gasp.

"Happy Valentine's Day?" Adrien said, reaching up to brush her bangs out of her eyes.

"You meant me?" she asked. "I'm the someone you like?"

Adrien laughed and pulled her close again. "It's always been you."

She kissed him on his cold nose and laughed herself. "And for me, it's always been you."

Adrien glanced around and saw a cafe that was still open down the street.

"Can I buy you a cup of coffee? Not the most romantic Valentine's date, but-"

"That would be wonderful," Ladybug said.

With warm cups in hand, the pair walked around for a little while longer, and while each wished they could reveal a bit more of who they were to the other, they both hoped this was just the start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	19. Ladybug, Renown Phone Thief (Confession)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-reveal dating (again). Ladybug confesses a past misdeed to Adrien. Adrien later confesses something to Ladybug.

"Remember that time I didn't show up to the statue unveiling?"

Ladybug and Adrien were in a hidden alcove overlooking a busy street, hidden from the people they were watching. It was one of their favorite date spots, close to everything, but still alone together.

"Yeah, I heard about that," Adrien said.

"I was breaking into your locker to steal your phone."

He sat bolt upright. "You stole my phone? You were why my phone was missing? Wait, why?"

"You know how I told you that civilian-me knows you?" Adrien nodded. "Well, civilian-me left a really embarrassing voicemail for you. I had to destroy the evidence."

"So you stole my phone."

"Yes."

Adrien was frowning, his brow tightly furrowed as he looked at her a little too closely. "You didn't think to ask to borrow my phone and 'accidentally' delete it? Or better yet, just tell me you sent an embarrassing voicemail and ask me to delete it without listening to it?"

"Neither of those solutions came to mind, no."

Adrien laughed, the anger or disappointment disappearing faster than it had appeared. "You're a world-renown problem-solver. Your Lucky Charm is literally a puzzle you have to solve to save the day, and your solution to an embarrassing voicemail is to steal my phone?"

Ladybug's cheeks were almost as red as the mask over them. "When you find out who I am, it'll make perfect sense."

Adrien kissed her nose, watching it wrinkle and her eyes light up.

"I can't wait."

/*****/

"I have to tell you something," Adrien said a few weeks later, running his fingers through Ladybug's hair as her head rested in his lap.

"Okay," she said, a soft sigh telling him she was more asleep than he had thought, but he had to say it now or he'd chicken out and never tell her.

"I'm Chat Noir."

Ladybug blinked up at him sleepily for a second more before she sat up and turned to face him. She didn't say a word. She took his face in her hands, brushed his hair back and looked into his eyes. She let go, only to grab his hand and hold up his ring, inspecting it, leaning it left and right to catch the light. She put his hand back down and crossed her arms.

"It's really you?"

"Plagg? Come here, please."

Plagg zipped over to land on Adrien's outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you, Ladybug."

"It's you."

Tears fell down her face and her arms were around his neck before he knew what to do. He held on to her lightly as her arms squeezed tighter and tighter.

"I had hoped that it was you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	20. Like A Ninja (Secret Admirer)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug leaves presents anonymously for Adrien, but he's pretty good at putting together who his secret admirer is.

“This is a dumb plan,” Ladybug said to herself. But Ladybug had had worse plans and those had turned out okay.

Marinette had found out that Adrien wouldn't have time that day to go to the bookstore to pick up a copy of the newest book in the series with which the class was currently obsessed, and decided that she would pick one up for him. The problem came with dropping it off. When she rang the bell for the scary eye-camera that Mr. Agreste's assistant controlled, no one answered. She had no way to get to the house to drop it off without getting through the gate, so she shrugged her backpack firmer to her shoulder and walked on. Only a moment later, an akuma attack had happened. Marinette dropped her backpack behind a bush (Tikki complained when she had to transform too many extra things besides Marinette's clothes) and became Ladybug.

"I had things to do today," Ladybug shouted at the latest akuma victim. "Can you tell Hawkmoth to knock it off every now and then, get a hobby or something?"

"What's so important that you'd rather do that than hang out with me, My Lady?"

"Lots of things, Kitty, no matter how nice your company is."

The battle over, Ladybug had a few minutes before she'd transform back. And that's when the bad idea struck. She could grab the book from her bag and drop it on the front step, because Ladybug would have no problem getting over the fence.

So she did. She made note of where the security cameras were pointed and easily fell between their gaze. She dropped the book and left, getting home with time to spare before she detransformed.

"I forgot to sign the note in the book!" Marinette wailed an hour later when she realized it. She dropped onto her bed and turned to look at her kwami. "Tikki, how do I always do that?"

"You dropped it off as Ladybug," Tikki said. "Isn't it better that it's not signed just in case someone saw you?"

"That's a good point," Marinette said.

The next day, Adrien sat reading before class started, ignoring the world around him, and Marinette loved the intense look on his face so much she didn't feel bad anymore about forgetting to sign her name or the fact that she had used her superpowers for selfish reasons.

The second time Ladybug dropped a gift off for Adrien on his doorstep, she really didn't have an excuse. She had seen the bouquet of daisies and the yellow was close to the color of his hair, and the white reminded her of his favorite shirt and she couldn't resist. She bought the flowers, but the moment she was within sight of the gate to the Agreste home she froze. She didn't like the creepy eye camera, and what was she thinking, dropping off flowers? It was all ridiculous, a terrible idea.

But if Ladybug dropped them off... no one would be the wiser. It would just be a nice surprise for Adrien. His name was on the card with the flowers, so there would be no confusion about the intended recipient.

So she did. And in class the next day, Adrien told Nino about how someone had gotten past the gates to give him flowers, and while it was a sweet gesture, how did they do that?

Then there was a sale on chocolates. She couldn't say no to buying an extra box! But what to do with it? Drop it off for Adrien, of course.

And so it continued. For two months, about once a week Ladybug would sneak her way to the front door of the Agrestes' and drop off the odd note, gift, or box of chocolates. She went often enough that she never expected to get caught.

"I suspected my secret admirer was you."

Ladybug spun around on the front step to face Adrien. He had a hand on his hip and a smirk on his lips.

"I can explain!"

"I hope that explanation is that you have a crush on me," Adrien said, walking up the steps to take the mug with the words "I'm punderful" on the side from her hands.

"I- what? No! Why would- I don't- How did you-?"

"I'll tell you a secret," Adrien said, leaning in. "I like you, too, Ladybug."

When she got home that night, Marinette was ecstatic and Tikki was just so done.

When Adrien returned to his room that night, Plagg was curious.

"Why did you think Ladybug was the one leaving all the weird gifts?"

"It's simple," Adrien said, holding his mug in one hand and running a finger over the lettering. "Whoever it was never appeared on the surveillance tapes. The only people capable of that are Ladybug and Chat Noir, and it obviously wasn't Chat Noir."

"Usually it's cats leaving presents for their loved ones," Plagg said. "The real question is, how did Ladybug know you wanted a copy of that book the first time?"

Adrien thought about it, and there were only three people who knew he wanted that book that day.

Nino, who couldn't be Ladybug.

Alya, who couldn't be Ladybug.

And Marinette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	21. That Pretty Green (Matching Outfits)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Adrien happen to show up at a charity ball in coordinating outfits.

"Another picture, please, Ladybug."

The photographers were relentless at this charity ball. On the one hand, it made Ladybug proud of her skills making her dress for the night. On the other, this was at least her tenth time stopping for a picture in the two hours she had been there.

"Of course," she said. She arranged her skirt to best show off her work and ran a hand over her hair before turning on a blinding smile.

Ladybug's dress was a midnight black ball gown with long sleeves to cover more of her suit's red. She had hand beaded the dress. From the bottom right at the hem up to her left hip walked cat paw prints in a bright green. The prints wrapped from her hip around her back to twirl around the front and up to her left shoulder. She had green gloves to match, and her pigtails had been traded in for an updo. Ladybug was definitely proud of her dress.

"Actually, we'd like a picture of the two of you."

Ladybug had to look around to figure out who the second person would be. When she saw Adrien Agreste, her heart almost stopped.

Adrien was wearing a black suit, perfectly tailored but possibly a different brand than Gabriel (but no less high-end). His shirt was black as well but his tie was green. Bright green. The same green as-

"You both came in Chat Noir themed outfits," the photographer said, guiding Adrien beside Ladybug. "Where is he tonight, Ladybug?"

"Chat had a prior engagement," she said, letting Adrien put an arm around her shoulder. "He sent a donation along with me, and wanted me to tell everyone that he wishes he could be here tonight."

The photographer directed a few questions to Adrien about his outfit, why he chose it, what brand it was, before he finally snapped a few pictures and was on his way.

"You look lovely tonight," Adrien said to Ladybug. "May I have this dance? Before another camera appears out of nowhere."

"I would love to," Ladybug said, taking his hand.

It all seemed so familiar. She danced with Adrien like she had all those years ago at Chloe's party. He danced with Ladybug like he had with her on rooftops sometimes when patrols were slow.

"This is a lovely tie," she said, smoothing her hand over it. "A nod to my partner?"

"I just like the color," he said, pulling her a little closer. "What about you? Green paw prints for a green and black kitty?"

"Of course," Ladybug said. "Don't tell him though. If he asks, I just think it's a pretty shade of green."

"I can't promise that," Adrien said with a smile. "He would be thrilled to know that his Lady wore his colors."

"Maybe I'll wear this dress for him some time," she said, letting the skirt swish around her ankles as Adrien spun her away for a moment before pulling her back into his arms. "If you think he'd like it so much."

"My Lady," Adrien purred. "I promise you, he'll love it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	22. Battle With A Madman (Rescue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien confronts Hawkmoth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, this chapter got a little dark.

Adrien pulled out his phone and dialed the number he had memorized years ago. When it connected, he whispered, “Don't say anything. Just listen, okay?”

He heard breathing on the other end, so he felt sure she was doing as he asked. He put the phone on speaker mode and slid it in his pocket. This was his insurance policy. If anything happened to him in the next few minutes, at least someone would know and finish the job.

He entered his father's office quietly, restraining the fury that made him want to slam open the door, flip over the desk, toss the pictures from the wall. That would do him no good here, get him no answers.

“Adrien? What are you doing up?” Gabriel asked. He stood at his design screen, flicking through sketches he had made Nathalie scan that afternoon. He stood there as if he hadn’t betrayed Adrien so deeply he felt hollow.

“Give me back the ring, Gabriel. Or should I call you Hawkmoth?”

Gabriel looked up at that.

"What are you talking about, Adrien? Why would I be Hawkmoth? And what ring do you think I have?"

"Don't play dumb. Your sleeping spell didn't work on me as well as you thought it did. I couldn't move when you took my ring, but I was awake and aware. I saw you detransform when you put on _my_ ring. Give it back to me."

"Adrien, are you sure you didn't just have a nightmare?"

"I know what I saw."

He didn't shout. He couldn't. Because if he started, he would never stop.

Gabriel sighed. "It's the stress. You've been around the world twice in the past three months. I'll tell Nathalie in the morning to schedule you some time off to rest."

"Don't play stupid with me," Adrien said. "Don't. You may have two miraculouses and I may have none, but that doesn't mean you'll win."

"Adrien, what do I need to do to convince you-"

"Stop!"

In that one word, Adrien screamed out all his anger. All his hurt and betrayal and pain. All the missed dinners. All the brutal battles. All the times he had seen the woman he loved hurt. All the times he had died in her arms and had to see her face that first moment before she registered that he was alive again after the Miraculous Cure. All the lies, the lies, the lies. He let that scream break through twenty years of having his father love him, but not enough. Of never feeling good enough. Of always trying his best and getting none of his needs met. He screamed.

Gabriel went pale. One hand gripped the edge of the screen in front of him, the other fisted at his side. Adrien wasn't sure how, but for the first time in his life, he was the one with the power in this room.

"Stop lying. How long have you known about me?"

Gabriel relented immediately. "I figured it out last month. The werewolf zombie. You detransformed after in the yard in front of my window. But I've suspected for years."

"Why?"

"I'll need a little more than that."

"Why are you Hawkmoth? Why terrorize the city? Why do you need our miraculouses?"

"Your mother. With the combined power of creation and destruction, I can turn back time and save her."

"She wouldn't want that! You have to know that!"

"I know," Gabriel said. "But I am not as selfless as she is. When I say I can't live without her, that I would do anything for her, I do not exaggerate."

"You would destroy the world for her."

It was not a question. The past seven years had taught him that this was true.

"And more."

"Give me your miraculous," Adrien said, holding out his hand. "Give me Plagg back. We'll find a way through this, but give them to me first. I can't let you have them."

"Adrien, my son." Gabriel looked devastated, but not in the least remorseful. "You know I can't. I have never been closer to my goal. Once I succeed, you won't even remember this. It will never have happened."

"Please," Adrien said, taking a step nearer. "Give me your miraculous."

"You know I can't," he repeated.

"We won't stop," Adrien said, another step closer. "You have to give up. Give up, because I don't want to fight you."

"Adrien, you have as well as lost. I sent out an akuma ten minutes ago. Your partner will soon be fighting, waiting for backup that will never come."

"Don't do this," Adrien said, walking over to grab his father's wrist. "Call the akuma back. Surrender and we can show you mercy."

"You know I can't!"

"I already lost my mother, don't take my father from me, too!"

Something about that statement snapped the tension in the room. Gabriel wrenched his hand from Adrien's grasp and took two steps back.

"Plagg, claws out."

The green transformation light filled the room, and at the same moment, there was a crash, a shattering of the window and Adrien's stunned horror.

"Last chance!" Ladybug yelled, standing from the dramatic hero couch she had landed in. "Give us your miraculous, and his, and we'll see you are treated fairly. If you don't, there will be no mercy."

"You will be dealt with soon enough," Gabriel- Chat Noir- said. "Leave me to deal with your fallen partner. No harm will come to him if he cooperates."

"Just stop! You've hurt him enough!" Ladybug had crossed to stand in between the Agreste men, her yoyo spinning at the ready.

"If you surrender now," Gabriel said, walking slowly towards Ladybug, "In seconds the world will be reset. You won't have to live a life exhausting yourself fighting for a city that doesn't even know your name. No missed school or work, never having to disappoint your friends, always able to support your family. You'll grow up a normal girl without the weight of the world. You can fall in love, have a good life away from all this magic and destruction. Surrender, and everyone is safe."

"Never," Ladybug said.

"Then you leave me no choice." Gabriel jumped over Ladybug to his son's side, grabbing him around the neck with one arm, and calling up Cataclysm with the other.

"I'm sorry, my son," he whispered. "But soon enough, this never will have happened."

Ladybug analyzed the situation. If she used Lucky Charm, she couldn't defeat the akuma she had been avoiding while listening to Adrien's call. If she made one false move, Adrien would die.

"Okay," she said. "I will take out one earring now, and you'll let him go. When I take out the second one, you use cataclysm on something safe, like a stack of papers. When Cataclysm is gone, I'll hand them to you. Do you agree?"

Gabriel nodded and Ladybug pulled out one earring. Slowly, bits of her suit started to peel away. Gabriel released his hold on Adrien's neck and Adrien ran to stand behind Ladybug. He stood close enough that when she was about to pull out the second earring, he heard her whisper, "Spots off." Adrien couldn't see who she was from behind her, but he did see her hair fell in front of her earring as she pretended to palm the jewel. She had left the second earring in, and Gabriel was none the wiser.

"Use up Cataclysm," she demanded, holding her fist containing the earring to her chest.

Then Hawkmoth made his mistake. In the time it took him to look around the room and find something to destroy, Ladybug slid fake earrings from her pocket into her hand, the real earring going into her mouth.

A paperweight destroyed, Gabriel turned back to Ladybug.

"Don't try anything," Gabriel said.

"You promise I'll have a normal life, no miraculous?" Ladybug asked.

"The life you were always meant to have."

She nodded. "Hold out your hand," she said.

She turned to Adrien and mouthed, "Get ready." She took a single step forward, making Hawkmoth come to her. Once he had the earrings in his hand, he stepped back and laughed.

"Finally! Finally mine!"

As Gabriel ranted to the painting of his wife about their impending reunion, Ladybug backed up to stand next to Adrien. She made sure Gabriel's focus was on his own insanity before spitting out her earring and putting it back in.

In the same moment that Gabriel got his earrings in and said, "Spots on," Ladybug said the same.

Pink light washed over the room. Ladybug ran and kicked Gabriel in the chest before turning and running at Adrien.

"Let's go!" she yelled. She ran at him with her arms open, and he opened his own on reflex. She scooped him up and raced for the broken window. As she neared the opening, she sent her yoyo sailing. Behind them, Gabriel roared in rage. Over Ladybug's shoulder he saw his father rush at them with such hatred on his face it physically hurt to see, but he couldn't look away. With a swooping feeling they soared into the night.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Adrien yelled over the roar of the wind.

"He has two miraculouses, we have one," she said. "We'll go to Fu, make a plan. He can't hide from us for long."

They landed on a roof a few miles away and sat. Both were shaking, and they held each other close.

"Thank you for rescuing me," Adrien whispered.

"I can't believe you called my yoyo to listen in instead of having me come with you," she said. "We're a team. We work together."

He looked at her, leaning against the slope of the roof, tangled in his arms, tears running down her face.

"Why are you crying, My Lady?"

"Because I love you," she said, fighting the silent sobs that shook her harder. "I love you, and I almost lost you back there."

"It's okay," he said, pulling her to his chest. "I knew you'd save me. You always do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	23. Face To Face (Celebrity Power Couple)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Adrien appear on Face To Face with Nadja Chamack. Adrien and Marinette watch their interview afterwards at home.

“This is Nadja Chamack for Face To Face. I'm here for a special report on the young couple stealing the world's attention: Ladybug and Adrien Agreste. No one knows how these two met, but for the first time since being caught in a steamy rooftop kiss in the middle of an Akuma battle, the couple has finally gone on record with yours truly. Stan, take us to the interview.”

Adrien watched the screen in front of him change to show him and Ladybug in a TV studio set on a red couch across from Nadja in a matching chair. Nadja went through some pleasantries for a minute, smiling at the happy couple.

“How did you two meet?” Nadja asked, dropping the cheerful facade but still holding back the full force of her investigative energy.

“I got caught in a lot of Akuma attacks in high school,” Adrien said with a practiced, easy laugh.

“A lot of people did back at the height of Hawkmoth's power,” Nadja said. “Ladybug, what drew you to Adrien, out of everyone?”

“The sappy look on his face, for sure,” Ladybug said with a smirk. “He was familiar from his modeling career, and I may have had a bit of a crush myself at the time.”

“So it was mutual right away?”

“Mutual infatuation right away,” Adrien said. “What we have now is based on getting to know one another, falling in love with the person behind the public persona.”

"Adrien, what is it like to date a superhero?"

"Well, I no longer think about getting a guard dog to keep the house safe."

On the screen, Nadja continued this line of questioning for an annoyingly long time. Marinette came over and joined Adrien on the couch, snuggling into his side with some knitting to keep her hands busy.

"Oh, we're getting to my favorite part," she said of the interview.

"So, Adrien, as I'm sure you know, the city was surprised when we found out that Ladybug was dating someone and it wasn't Chat Noir. What is your relationship with Chat Noir like? What does he think of you? And how do you handle his very close relationship with your girlfriend?"

"He and I get on okay," Adrien said, scratching the back of his head. "We don't always like each other, but we respect the roles the other plays in our Lady's life. I could never have a problem with how Chat Noir treats Ladybug because he's kept her safe for so long. I owe him a lot for that."

"We asked Chat Noir what he thought of your relationship with Ladybug. Would you like to see what he said?"

Adrien, knowing exactly what he was about to see, said, "Ladybug, do you think he'd be okay with that?"

"He's not here to say one way or the other, is he?"

The teasing glint in her eye did not go unnoticed by Nadja, but she wasn't sure what to make of it just yet.

"Okay, show us what he said, please."

It was a recording of Chat Noir after a recent akuma attack, getting ready to leave.

"Chat Noir! What do you think of the news that Ladybug is dating Adrien Agreste?"

"I knew even before they did," Chat said, giving a cocky grin. "They're sweet together, you know? I'm glad she's happy."

"So there's no issues with you and Ladybug caused by this relationship?"

"I'd say My Lady and I are closer than ever."

"Is there anyone in your life?"

Here Chat Noir’s grin took on a sappy quality. "Oh, I'm seeing a nice girl. She wants to stay out of the _spot_ light though, so I'm not going to mention who she is."

The interviewer tried to start another question but he held up a hand, backing away.

"That's all I have time for. Direct further questions to my publicist. Tell Ladybug she owes me for being nice for the camera today, bye!"

Marinette leaned against Adrien harder, laughing and clutching at her chest, trying to catch her breath.

"The _spot_ light, really?" she said. "And who exactly is supposed to be your publicist?"

Adrien shrugged. "We could always ask Alya."

"Ooh, we could," Marinette said, picking her knitting back up.

They watched the rest of the interview, rolling their eyes at the mentions of Ladybug and Chat Noir being "symbols" and "two halves of a whole" and the general feeling of "You two are not the couple we expected and not the one we wanted."

"How long do you think we have to stay like this before we can 'break up'? And after that, how long until we can 'start dating' as LadyNoir and Adrinette?" Adrien asked, rolling Marinette's yarn ball around his hands.

"A few more months, Kitty, sorry." She kissed his cheek. "I can't believe we got caught after all these years, and it was the wrong combination of us."

"Ah well," Adrien said, tossing the yarn ball in the air and accidentally tugging the knitting in her hands. "We make quite the power couple, though."

"That we do, Kitty," she said, watching the interview wrap up with a listing of all the charities for which Ladybug and Adrien volunteered and donated. "And I hope we always use that status to bring more good into the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	24. Underground Fight Club AU (I Need To Transform Into Chat Noir And You Won't Leave)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and his online-dating-date Ladybug go to an underground fight club that stresses anonymity. Too bad Adrien's shift working there starts soon.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Adrien asked.

"Not yet," Ladybug said, guiding him from the car and around the parking lot. When they stood in front of the building's entrance, she said, "Okay, now you can look."

Adrien's eyes opened and when he took in where he was, they widened even further.

"Not what you were expecting?" Ladybug asked. "Sorry, this was dumb. We can go somewhere else. I just heard that it was good and thought you might like it, and-"

"It's great," Adrien said. "But yeah, not what I was expecting." He glanced up at the sign and looked around and back at Ladybug. "Why here, exactly, though?"

"I've always wanted to try it, and you sounded like you'd be open to it," she said, scratching at the back of her head. "Haha, well, like I said, we don't have to. But if you want to, maybe it'd be nice?"

Adrien looked up at the sign that would only be up for another two hours. The sign advertising the underground fight club held within the warehouse. The underground fight club where he was the fight announcer. The one his father could never find out about.

"Are you sure about this?" Adrien asked again.

"it's been on my mind for a while," Ladybug said. "It's part of why I haven't given you my real name yet. Anonymity is a big part of this place, from what I hear. So I was hoping... you would go in with me and watch a few fights? I want to try my hand at it eventually, but not right away."

Adrien didn't know what to do. He had to start his shift _here_  in three hours. Ladybug knew he had to leave to get to his job at that time. Surely one of the regulars would recognize him, call him "Chat Noir" in front of Ladybug, and his cover would be blown? Though, without his mask and suit he might be alright. And Ladybug looked very excited. He loved seeing her eyes light up like that.

"Maybe... just one or two rounds," Adrien said.

"You're the best," she said, kissing his cheek and pulling him to the door.

Adrien bought them drinks and they settled into the crowd. The fighting was brutal tonight, and the atmosphere was charged. It was the kind of night for which Adrien loved announcing. There were a few newcomers, and they seemed to be holding their own against the regulars, which was unusual. Newbies usually got knocked on their asses the first round or two. It was a good night.

And Ladybug was loving it. She whispered her analysis of each fighter's technique to him, pointing out weaknesses, mentioning what moves she would struggle to counter. She seemed to know a lot more than she let on. He wondered again about who this girl he met online really was. He loved Ladybug (even if they had only gone on two official dates), but he couldn't help being curious about the other parts of her life.

"You're letting me do all the talking," Ladybug said with a laugh. "C'mon, you said you know some stuff about this. Show me what you've got."

Adrien was never one to turn down showing off his skills. He gave her detailed breakdowns of each fighter they watched. He showed her what to watch for, what tells each fighter had, how to tell if a fight had been thrown. She soaked up every word and fired back with fantastic questions. He couldn't help but admire her more as the night wore on.

Which is how he lost track of the time. He was due to start announcing in ten minutes.

"Well, I have to get going," Adrien said. "Let me call you a cab?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Ladybug said. "I'm going to stay to the end of this fight, then I'll go. But you go ahead, I don't want you to be late."

Crap. He couldn't go until she left, and she wouldn't leave until the fight was over. He could pretend to leave, run around to the back entrance, change, and wait in hiding until she was gone? But he didn't want to risk her staying for the next fight, the one he was going to announce. Adrien had to get Ladybug out of here.

"I don't think you should hang out here alone," he said. "I'd feel better if you left with me."

"I'll be fine," she said. "I have pepper spray and a mean right hook. Go ahead, or you'll never get there on time."

She kissed his cheek and he had no idea what to do. And only like thirty percent because she had _kissed his cheek_.

"I'll stay then," he said. "Don't want to leave My Lady with a crowd like this her first time here."

Ladybug turned an annoyed look on him. "Don't pull that crap on me. I can handle myself. If you can't believe that a girl can do that, then you clearly weren't paying attention three rounds ago when that tiny blonde girl took out that tall guy with the crossed bones shirt."

"No, this isn't... I know that women in general, and you specifically, are very strong and capable," Adrien said, running a hand through his hair. "It's the place, not the people. I can't explain it. Can you just trust me?"

"That's not fair," Ladybug said, crossing her arms. "I just asked you to trust me and my judgement. You can't flip it around and tell me that I need to trust you."

He sighed again.

"Fine. You're right. I promise I'll make this up to you," he said. "I'm not getting what I need to say across properly. Are we still on for brunch on Sunday?"

Ladybug looked at the kitten eyes and became irate in the face of how quickly they dissolved her resolve.

"Yes, we are," she said, letting her shoulders drop and arms un-cross. "I might still be annoyed with you then though," she said, booping his nose with the point of one finger.

"Anything you ask, I'll make you forget that tonight ended like this," he said, beaming at her. "See you soon, Ladybug."

"See you, Adrien."

So he ran around to the back entrance, changed quickly, and waited. He peeked from the back office into the crowd when he heard cheering indicating the fight had ended. And, as he had dreaded, Ladybug didn't leave.

He had to go on. He had to start the next match. If he didn't, there'd be hell to pay. But Ladybug was _right there_  and if he went out she would recognize him and his anonymity would be compromised and he might lose his in with this group. They were rough people, but this was his family now.

So, either way it was a risk. He finally steeled himself and walked into the crowd, arms raised in an aggressive display to rile up the crowd.

"Who's ready to see the fight of their lives?" he shouted.

Adrien tried not to watch her, but Ladybug was too stunning to keep his eyes off for very long. She was engrossed in the fights. Maybe he had been lucky. Maybe she didn't identify him.

During his break from announcing, Adrien checked his texts. He had one from Ladybug.

Ladybug: omg i just found your doppelganger!

Attached was a picture of Chat Noir announcing the fight.

Looks like his secret was safe.

For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	25. Hawkmoth Needs A Hobby (Quiet Night In)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-reveal Ladrien dating AU. A quiet night in is interrupted multiple times and Adrien's having a difficult time hiding that he disappears every time that Ladybug leaves to save the city.

"Sorry," Ladybug said, brushing rubble from her hair and sitting on the couch next to Adrien. "The city's needy today."

"It's fine," Adrien said, unpausing the anime they were watching.

They got through an entire episode before an akuma alert popped up in the corner of the TV screen.

"Duty calls," Ladybug said, kissing his cheek. "Be back soon, I hope!"

"No rush, I'll be here," Adrien said.

Ladybug swooshed away from the window and Adrien waited until she was out of sight before diving for the bathroom to transform.

"I'm back!" Ladybug called as she landed in Adrien's bedroom again. The room was empty. "Adrien?"

Chat Noir dove through the bathroom window as his ring beeped its final warning. His feet hit the floor just as his transformation swept up his body. He fed Plagg and checked his reflection quickly, then ran the water to make it sound like he was washing his hands, and returned to his bedroom.

Ladybug had beaten him back. She smiled when she saw him.

"Oh, there you are. Sorry for the interruption."

"It's fine," Adrien said, pulling her close to kiss the tip of her nose under her mask. "How was the fight? I saw a bit on the news."

"Same old same old," Ladybug said, picking up the popcorn bowl again as they went back to cuddling on the couch.

They only made it ten minutes into the next episode before a news alert popped up on Adrien's phone.

"Sounds like a hostage situation at the bank," he said, scrolling through the notice.

"I should help," Ladybug said. "Did they plan this specifically for date night?" She stood and stretched before heading to the window again.

"It's fine," Adrien said. "Say hi to Chat Noir for me."

The moment Ladybug left Adrien raced to the bathroom window.

When Adrien returned, he did so through the kitchen. He grabbed a few cookies and threw them on a plate and grabbed two cans of soda as well.

"Just restocking snacks," Adrien said, holding out the plate to Ladybug. She set it on the table and then took one of the cans to pour it into her cup.

They finished the episode and the one after that and got within the last five minutes of the next one before there was an explosion down the street.

"This is insane," Ladybug said. "Four times? Four times in one afternoon?"

"Well, the bank robbery was't akuma related, at least," Adrien said.

"There's that," Ladybug said, taking another sip of soda before she had to go. "I think I'll head home after this one, though," Ladybug said. "We can try again next week?"

"That's fine," Adrien said, getting up to walk her the short distance to the window. "I love you."

"Love you," she said.

The akuma took a while to defeat, so maybe Adrien wasn't as sharp as he should have been when he returned. He usually checked his bedroom through the windows before entering that way, but this time he just wanted to get home. He landed in the middle of the floor and detransformed, catching Plagg as he spiraled out of the ring.

"Chat Noir?" Ladybug said, jumping up from the couch.

"I thought you were going home!" Adrien said.

"I was!" she said. "But the battle put me in a bad mood and seeing you always cheers me up, so I came back."

"Um... surprise?"

"That explains why you were always out of the room when I got back each time," Ladybug said, sitting back down and clutching her head in her hands. "I can't believe I didn't notice."

"So, are you mad?" Adrien asked, sitting next to her.

"Um... only if you're mad about this," she said.

And then Marinette was sitting on his couch.

"No," Adrien said, reaching to pull her into his arms. "Not mad at all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	26. Rooftop Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug questions Adrien on his ideal date with a superhero.

"I’m not sure what you were trying to prove here," Adrien said, leaning against the sloped roof at his back.

"It proves that I, Ladybug, am very good at planning a date. The view is romantic, the food is good, and I planned it all very well."

"Yes, but I never said you weren't," Adrien said, turning partway to see her better. "I just said that Chat Noir's rooftop love confession with rose petals and candles and all that sounds really romantic."

"Meaning my dates aren't romantic enough for you," she said, crossing her arms.

"No, meaning more than one thing can be romantic."

"But which is more romantic?"

"Yours, because you did it for me," Adrien said, trying to lean over to kiss Ladybug's cheek. She pulled away and continued her questioning, brow furrowed.

"So, if Chat Noir had taken you up on that rooftop, that would have been more romantic?"

"What is this about, Ladybug?"

"Nothing. I'm just trying to figure out how to make you happy and make sure you enjoy our dates."

"Our dates involve me spending time with you," Adrien said, scooting closer until he could wrap his arm around Ladybug's waist. "That's what makes them enjoyable."

"Are you sure? Because there's a lot of things we can't do, like go to dinner in a nice restaurant, or get coffee and talk, or get ice cream-"

"Not every date has to involve food," Adrien pointed out.

"-Or go to an arcade, or to the beach, or even just sit on a park bench and people watch. A lot of our dates are probably going to be just like this," she said, patting her hands against the roof below her. "That's really going to be enough for you?"

"Ladybug," Adrien said, putting a finger under her chin to guide her to make eye contact. "I love you. You don't have to do anything special to get me to like you. I already like you a lot. Those fancy, ordinary dates aren't what I want. If I did, I wouldn't be interested in you. Do you believe me?"

Ladybug's eyes scanned over his face for a minute before she leaned in and kissed him. "I believe you," she said. "I'd still like to make our dates as special as I can though, because I love you, too, and you deserve the best."

"So long as you let me plan a few, too," Adrien said.

"Deal."

They settled into silence, holding hands and watching the sun set. It was a few minutes before Ladybug spoke again.

"So, just to be clear, you like me better than Chat Noir right?"

Adrien tried not to laugh, he really did, but it came spilling out. When he looked up at Ladybug again she had the strangest mix of confusion, happiness, and embarrassment on her face.

"I like you better than Chat Noir, and any date with you is superior to anything he could ever give me."

And it was true. Adrien's self esteem was still growing, but he doubted he would ever love himself the way his Lady could love him. Because he had never felt this loved in all his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	27. Superhero Purposes (Consensual Kidnap)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien runs into Ladybug while hiding from a party.

The party was boring. So boring. Adrien had to sneak into the kitchens to get away from Chloe and the other fangirls. His father had promised it wasn't another one of those teen award parties where this would happen. He should have known better.

Adrien found a door outside from the kitchen and stood in a loading area that was free of people wanting to touch him and take pictures with him and giggle at everything he said. There was a light drizzle falling and the scent of cigarettes thick in the air, but to Adrien, both seemed like more than a fair trade off to what awaited him inside.

"What's a nice boy like you doing out here instead of with all those big-name somebodies inside?"

"Ladybug," Adrien said with a bit too much awe in his voice as he was looking up and around for her.

"There's quite a party in there," Ladybug said, landing next to him from a perfect flip off the roof behind him.

"You were invited, I heard," Adrien said, closing the distance between them.

"I was," she said. "But it's not really the kind of event I like to attend."

"What is your kind of event?" Adrien asked.

"Birthday parties with friends," she said. "Anything where there's dancing with people I like and know and trust. Fashion shows. Sleepovers with your best friend and a box of cookies."

"I like those, too," Adrien said. He looked back at the door through which he had escaped. "Do you want to get out of here?"

"Really?" Ladybug's eyebrows rose.

"Please, Ladybug." He stepped into her personal space. "Save me. Save me from this party, please?"

She bit her lip and glanced at the building for a moment before returning her gaze to his eyes.

"I mean... It is my job to save people," she said, a slow smile spreading. "And no one could blame you if you were taken from the party by a superhero for superhero purposes."

Adrien nodded. "That sounds reasonable. Do you have any superhero purposes I could help with?"

"Oh yes," she said. "Very important ones. Someone has to keep me company on the Eiffel Tower while I watch over the city."

She hooked an arm around his waist and held up her yoyo.

"Last chance to back out," she said. "You could go back in the party, act like nothing happened, spend the night where you're supposed to be."

"I have never been less interested in anything in my life," Adrien said.

"I was hoping you'd say that," she said.

Off they flew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	28. Dreams (The Fall)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug has been sleeping over at her friend, Adrien's house, and he thinks he knows why.

“You know that feeling in a dream where you're falling, but suddenly you realize you're actually flying? I think that's what it feels like to fall in love.”

Ladybug was curled up in Adrien's bed for the fifth time that week. They were friends. She would stop by and check on him sometimes, or they would play video games and flirt. But six days ago she had turned up at his window and begged for a sleepover. She wouldn't tell him what was wrong or why she kept coming over in the middle of the night, but the way she would startle awake, or sometimes wake crying, made him think it was nightmares. There had been a close call Akuma the week before. Chat's ring had been halfway off his finger and Ladybug was pinned down. Adrien still wasn't sure how they'd gotten out of that one.

"Do you dream about falling a lot?" Adrien asked.

"Not a lot," she said. "And even less often about flying." She was quiet for a few breaths before she added, "That's what makes it so special when I do."

Adrien squeezed her tighter in his arms. Their first sleepover had ended with them waking in each other's arms, and when Ladybug had said she enjoyed cuddling him, he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Ladybug snuggled against his chest and breathed in his scent, familiar and comforting, but missing something. Soon his arms and his sheets and his scent lulled her to sleep.

"No!"

Ladybug's scream jolted Adrien awake. They had shifted so that Adrien was on his stomach with one arm over Ladybug's hip as she faced him on her side. He could feel her whole body shaking under his hand. She had never reacted this strongly to a dream before.

"Ladybug?" Adrien brushed her bangs from her eyes just as she squeezed them shut.

"I can't lose him," she whispered.

"What?"

"I can't lose Chat Noir," she said, her shaking turning into sobs. "I can't. And I almost did. And I keep dreaming of all the other ways he could be hurt."

Adrien pulled her into his arms, rocking her gently as she cried.

"Tell me about the dream," Adrien said. "It won't seem so bad once you say it out loud."

She cried harder for a minute, but she started gasping out the words and after a minute her sobbing had turned to quiet weeping.

"He fell," she said. "We were fighting somewhere high. A building, the Tower, I don't know. We were fighting, and I told him to be careful. I begged him to be careful. But he jumped at the akuma and fell past him. He fell, and I ran to see and catch him and my yoyo was gone. And I had to watch him fall. I watched him, knowing that he was expecting me to save him, and I wasn't going to. His last thought would be disappointment in me, and how he had put his trust in me and it was my fault. I can't lose him."

Adrien held her, wishing he could explain to her that even if that happened, even if there was a time where she couldn't save him, he would never blame her. It would never be her fault. He knew the risks, and he had assumed responsibility for them himself.

"Have you told anyone else about these dreams?" Adrien asked, reaching for a box of tissues for Ladybug.

"No."

"Not Chat?"

"I don't want to put this on him, make him feel guilty. Plus, what if him worrying about me distracts him and puts him in more danger?"

"The Guardian?"

"I never should have told you about him," she said with a sigh. "Pretend I didn't, please?"

Adrien nodded. Something was bothering him, something his mind couldn't grasp when it felt it should be asleep. It would come to him, if it was important.

"Thank you for telling me," Adrien said.

"Thank you for letting me be here," Ladybug said. She slid so that they both laid back down, his arms still around her. "I know it's a little weird-"

"I'm glad I can help," Adrien said. "You don't have to apologize."

They woke early, before Adrien's alarm. In the grey pre-dawn light they stared at the ceiling with their fingers entwined.

"Why me?" Adrien asked.

"What do you mean?" Ladybug asked, turning her head to him.

"You have a whole city of people to choose from," Adrien said. "I know we already hung out sometimes, but why choose to come here?"

Ladybug faced the ceiling again and sighed.

"You'll think it's stupid. Or that I'm just using you. You won't like it."

"I'd like to know," he said.

She was quiet and her grip on his hand tightened. "You smell almost the same as Chat Noir."

He had never thought about it before, if he smelled different in and out of costume.

"It's not exactly the same," she went on. "But you smell a lot like him. It's like having him near. But also you're my friend and I trust you. But yeah, a lot of it is that you smell like him."

Adrien rolled on his side and reached for her other hand with his.

"I don't feel that you're using me," he said. "I'm glad I can help."

When they defeated Hawkmoth, when they revealed themselves, when they had moved in together and never had to spend a night apart again, Marinette thought back on that night.

"I really was using you," she said, her fingers running through Adrien's hair with his head on her lap.

"I didn't mind," he said. "You were using me because you loved me."

"I loved both sides of you," she said. "Even then."

"I'm just glad I could help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	29. Distracting (Stuck)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is stuck as Ladybug and bored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aged up post reveal established relationship :)

"This is ridiculous," Ladybug said, crossing her arms and leaning back into the couch. "How much longer can this possibly go on?"

"It's already been nine days," Adrien said, sitting next to her.

"Nine very long days," she said. "Where is Nino?"

"I don't know," Adrien said. "I keep calling, but he never picks up. Alya swears he's just doing run of the mill Guardian stuff and will be back soon."

"Soon isn't good enough," Ladybug said. "I've been stuck like this, as Ladybug, for nine days! I can't keep working from home forever!"

"Your boss doesn't seem to mind."

"My boss used to be Hawkmoth," Ladybug said. "He's not allowed to mind anything I do ever."

"And you never let him forget it," Adrien said, pecking a kiss to her nose.

"Of course not," she said. She looked around the apartment, feeling like the walls were closing in on her. "Want to go for a run with me, Kitty?"

"I have to finish this proposal for the department head before eight," Adrien said, holding up his laptop. "After that?"

She sighed and slouched further. "Yeah. I'm going to go... I don't know. Try on outfits over my suit? I miss pink. I miss any color that isn't red."

Adrien laughed. "I do love you in red though," he said.

"I know you do," she said, smirking.

"Go play with clothes," Adrien said. "Go get inspired for your designs and let this poor tomcat work without distraction, please."

"But I'm such a good distraction," she said, smiling brightly.

"The best distraction," he said.

Ladybug didn't get up from the couch, watching Adrien as he typed.

"How long is that proposal?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I don't want you overworking yourself," she said. "Maybe you should finish it off quickly."

"And get back to keeping my stir crazy Lady company?" Adrien asked.

"What a good idea!" she said. "I'll wait for you on the balcony, Kitty."

Adrien watched her walk off, swaying her hips a little, and sighed. Two more paragraphs, he told himself. Two more, and then a run across the city with the most distracting and wonderful Lady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk with me over at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) if you like :)


	30. Trade (Akumatized)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug is Akumatized. Adrien has to find some way to save her.

"Hey there, hot stuff."

Adrien looked up at the sound of Ladybug's voice and spotted her on a roof across the street from where he walked.

"I've been having a bit of a bad day," she said, snagging her yoyo on the lamppost in front of him. She tugged on the line and sent herself spinning around the pole until she landed gracefully before him. "So I'm glad I ran into you."

Adrien watched her walk towards him with a growing feeling of unease. His Lady... there was something wrong with his Lady.

"I can't keep everyone safe," Ladybug said, her head hung and her shoulders tight. "I can't be there for my family and friends. I can't capture the attention of the boy I like."

She paused and looked up at him and he saw it. The butterfly outline hovering in front of her face. Her mask had changed shape, too. Her hair ribbons had turned black and coiled down her back.

"Ladybug?"

"I love you, Adrien," she said taking another step towards him. He scrambled back three steps. "Why have you never noticed me? Never seen what we could be together?"

"Ladybug, you're a superhero," he said. "I'm just me." Unless she had found out his identity. But he would hope she hadn't.

"You know me," she said. "The real me. And you pay her no attention at all. Not like the way you look at Ladybug."

"I know you?" He saw his Lady in his everyday life? The normal girl with the normal life was someone in _his_  life?

But he didn't have time to think about that. The Hawkmoth outline appeared in front of Ladybug's eyes again and he knew she was hearing his instructions.

"Looks like you're coming with me," she said. "Someone wants to meet you."

Ladybug took one of the long black ribbons from her hair and tied it around his eyes. He flinched at her touch but she didn't mention it. Adrien wondered what would happen if he tore her hair ribbons. Would she snap out of it in time to catch and purify the akuma? Was it worth it to risk it and get Ladybug- the real, unakumatized Ladybug- back?

"I brought him, Hawkmoth," Ladybug said, setting Adrien down in a room that echoed every breath and footstep. She removed the makeshift blindfold and tied her hair back up. Adrien wondered if he had lost his chance now that they were here.

"Good, he'll be safe here." The voice was familiar, but Adrien wasn't sure if it was just from that one time with the giant butterfly head or not. "Now, give me your earrings."

Ladybug tried to remove the earrings, but they wouldn't budge. She called out, "Spots off" but she didn't detransform.

"I can't," she said. "I think it's because I'm akumatized. If you call back your butterfly I can probably do it."

"If I call back the butterfly, you'll win."

Hawkmoth gave an attempt to remove the earrings, but she was right. While she was akumatized, the earrings would not budge.

"I need to think," Hawkmoth snarled, pacing across the empty room.

While Hawkmoth thought, Adrien finalized his plan.

"Hawkmoth?" Adrien said.

"I'm busy, Adrien."

The phrase hurt for some reason, but Adrien pushed on.

"I know who Chat Noir is."

Hawkmoth whirled on him. "What? Who?"

"If you send Ladybug away and call back her akuma, I'll tell you. I'll even help you get his miraculous."

"I'm not trading one hero for the other," Hawkmoth said. "I need both."

"You'll have a better chance with one of the two miraculous," Adrien said. "And you can't get Ladybug's right now."

"She's stronger than him though," Hawkmoth said. "I could send her out to fight him and then have both miraculous."

"He'd never fight her," Adrien said. "You have to know that. He would run away and hide his miraculous. He's not stupid."

Hawkmoth sighed. "You're right, he would never engage the girl." He looked at Adrien. "Tell me who he is."

"Only if you free Ladybug."

They fought, Hawkmoth threatened, but in the end, Adrien's stubborn streak won out.

"I don't want to leave you," Ladybug said, throwing her arms around Adrien.

"I'll be fine, My Lady," he whispered. Behind her back, he fiddled with her hair ribbon, keeping a tight hold on her for just a moment longer.

"Get going," Hawkmoth said, pulling them apart. "Head far away from here, far enough that when I call back the akuma and you forget everything that happened, you can't put together that this is where you were."

If Hawkmoth saw the glint of silver tied to one of Ladybug's ribbons, he didn't think anything of it.

"Now," Hawkmoth turned to Adrien dramatically. "Tell me who Chat Noir is, or you're never leaving this room."

"It's me, Father," Adrien said, stepping into the circle of light with his head high and shoulders back. "I'm Chat Noir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (The silver on Ladybug's ribbon is Chat's Miraculous. He tied it there when he hugged her goodbye so Hawkmoth couldn't get it)  
> A whole month! I had so much fun. Thank you all for your comments and kudos, each and every one of them brought me joy. LadyNoir July starts tomorrow! If you have anything to say, or suggestions for LadyNoir, or just wanna say hi, I'm at [cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com](https://cheeseeatingtrashmonster.tumblr.com/) and my ask box and messages are always open <3


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